Mountain Biking

So we all slept well, had breakfast and then headed into the centre of Newton Stewart to stock up on provisions.  It has an Aldi and a lovely butchers so we will eat well here.  (Just as well as the restaurants and pubs don't look up to much).  Newton Stewart is the only 'town' for quite a large area, so has lots of facilities: Aldi, Sainsburys, swimming pool, lots of shops etc, but it is looking a bit down on its luck - the town centre is scruffy and as I said the pubs don't look very inviting.  However, it is a great place from which to explore the area and our cottage is just fine.

We got a lot of interesting items from the butchers: lime, coconut and mango sausages, chicken balmorals (stuffed with haggis and wrapped in bacon for the boys) chicken Aphrodite for me (covered in spices) as well as some good ole lamb chops.  

We headed back to the house and got ready for a day of biking.  There is a forest park just outside the town here, Kirroughtree, so we thought we would try it out.  It was only 3 miles out of town, so instead of grappling with the bike carrier we cycled there.  Was pretty flat to start with but there was a very very steep hill on the way, I got up it huffing and puffing on the e-bike, I don't know how Matt and Tom did it - but they did!  Very impressive.

We got a little lost trying to find the park centre, but we got there in the end.  We had lunch (toasties all round) and then did the green trail (the easiest one).  We all did it fine, in super quick time, no bother.  We had a drink and then set off again on a blue trail.  First stop though was the skills loop, which Matt and Tom went round a couple of times, I was a scaredy cat and waited for them!  My mountain bike skills are not great!

We then did the blue trail, it was at the limit of my abilities with rocks and roots to deal with as well as the odd steep downhill bit and slippery rocks etc.  I got a little stuck in a couple of places but nothing too bad, and luckily it wasn't so busy that people were getting huffy with slower riders.  Matt and Tom were in their element, loving it all and not making as many mistakes as me. I don't know how they did it all without help, but kudos to them, they did!  We had another rest with tea and a bun before heading back to the blue trail, we did about ¼ of it until it hit the road home.   Another 3.5 miles, we parked our bikes in the garage and then tumbled into the house.  We were all shattered but happy.

The rest of the day was spent lazing around the house, watching the paralympics, playing Ticket to Ride (just me and Tom so we played our own longer version which was fun - especially because I won!) making tea and eating it.  Think we (may) all ache tomorrow!

Plockton to Newton Stewart

So today was a travel day: Plockton to Newton Stewart - 280 miles and not the fastest roads, but the scenery more than made up for it.  

We got up, packed up the last bits from our Plockton house - which was a small cottage in 'the square' of what used to be stables.  It wasn't at all luxurious, not really comfortable (all soft furnishings eg pillows etc had been taken due to covid) but it met our needs and we weren't there much anyway.  Our hosts (and next door neighbours) were friendly enough and it wasn't actually that expensive.  It certainly had character - shame the double bed was old and its mattress almost dead - Matt and I were constantly rolling into each other, we ended up turning it upside down and around to see if that would help, it did a bit but we still didn't have great nights sleep there.

Near Invergarry

Asleep in the back

Anyway, we packed up in the glorious sunshine, lovely lovely sunny day today and headed due south through the stunning Scottish landscape.  Matt drove to Invergarry, I then drove to Rannock Moor, he then drove to Ayr and then I did the last leg to Newton Stewart.  It took 7.5 hours.  We stopped for lunch at Tyndrum again - but at a different eatery - TJ's Diner which did good food although the service was awful.  We stopped for photos at various places, but generally it was just a driving day.

Tom fell asleep in the van which is quite unheard of these days - I guess all these late nights have caught up on him!

The sat nav, unfortunately brought us on unmarked roads for the last 20 miles of the trip, they were single track roads along boggy terrain - a bit like Bowland.  Luckily we didn't meet many cars coming the other way, but my they were twisty, I barely got out of 4th gear and was more than often below that!  20 miles of roads like that feels a long long way.  Anyway, we got here unscathed.  

The house is very comfortable - definitely an old person's house - lots of doilies, fussy pictures, very frilly bedroom covers.  Lovely fluffy carpet and rugs which is great on my aching feet!  It is on the riverbank (River Cree) and we have a balcony overlooking it which is nice.   We went straight out to the town in the search of food and found a co-op so bought some meatballs, pasta and sauce and came home to cook it.  Will do a bigger shop tomorrow when we are refreshed.

Last day in Plockton

Today the weather forecast was for wall to wall sunshine, but we woke up to low clouds.  The forecast still said wall to wall sunshine.  Oh hum, it was warm and not windy or rainy so can't really complain.  

We didn't really have a plan for today.  We had no food in the house so either needed to go to Kyle and the co-op or eat out for lunch and tea, we decided on the latter.  With no other ideas, we decided to go on a bike ride again - back to Craig Highland Farm, where we went on day 1 with the lamas etc, the lamas were down on the beach today, they were also right next door to the train line, quite a strange sight: lamas on the beach in the Highlands - many wouldn't believe you!

We then cycled back to the Croft Cafe for lunch.  I had a goats cheese and beetroot salad, while the boys were boring and went for the same as last time, so Cullen Skink for Matt and Macaroni Cheese with chips for Tom.  All as good as before.

We then cycled down to Port An Eorna which was a hamlet of about 5 houses on a promontory before heading back to Duncraig.  Just as we got home all the clouds miraculously disappear and we were bathed in beautiful blue skies and sunshine again.  After about an hour of rest, Matt went out again on my bike to ride up a mountain, whilst Tom and I packed the van ready for tomorrow.  We are relocating to Newton Stewart - a 6 hour drive, we have to drive back to Glasgow and out the other side and then head West again in Dumfries and Galloway, an area none of us knows.

Once Matt was back we all refreshed and then took the van down to Plockton for fish and chips from the takeaway.  Plockton was looking its best, the sun shining on the lock and the mountains, there was a band playing outside one of the pubs.  I found a picnic table on the front and just drank in the view and atmosphere, it was just lovely.  

After our fish and chips - which was very good, we went for a walk along the front and found a sign infant of one of the big houses saying that visitors were welcome to explore its woodland, just don't go to the house.  Intrigued we decided to have a look. Wow, it turned out to be quite a long walk, through forest, through field and eventually to a view point on the edge of the rocks.  We found loads of different types of mushrooms, a pond full of lily pads and just lots of interesting foliage.  What a gem of a place and we had it to ourselves.  

We eventually pulled ourselves away and returned back to the front where the music was still playing, however, we had to go home, we had the bike rack to grapple with.  And although we got it on the van in record time, we got attacked by midges (first midges of the holiday so can't really complain) wasn't nice though!

Beach Day

We woke up on Tuesday to a stunning day, deep blue skies (yet again).  Tom had requested a beach day and we had found a beach in Plockton on google maps, so we had a slow morning of breakfast and getting ready for a day on the beach.  We included swimwear for all 3 of us (even me who HATES cold water!)  I cobbled together a picnic from the sparse food we have in the house (can't seem to think ahead enough this holiday) and off we went. 

We found the track which took us to a car park just outside the Plockton airfield (yes this tiny place with only 300 residents has an airfield - which does get used, we have seen helicopters and small aircraft using it).  We loaded up with bags and walked along the track to coral beach - so called because it is made up mainly of shells.  It was gorgeous and we had the place almost to ourselves. The water was mega clear, once again it looked like we were in the Caribbean.  The temperature of the water wasn't so great though.  Tom was straight in, but it took me a good 45 minutes of coaxing and playing with the rocket to get me in fully.  I just don't know how others just wade in as if it is completely normal to plunge your body into freezing water and without screaming!

Anyway, I managed it and once in, it was fine.  Although in the time it took me to get in, Tom was beginning to shiver, so I didn't have that much time in as I was worried about him.  We came out and warmed up in the sun - it reached 25 degrees - yes 25 DEGREES so we dried out and warmed up in no time.  We ate our picnic, Tom went back into the sea - which had retreated quite a way, where we were swimming he was now only ankle deep, I'm guessing this place has quite a wide tidal range.  I managed a little bit of relaxing whilst Matt went for a walk and Tom paddled, but before too long I was made to play rocket catch again.  I don't mind, just that my body is aching and stiff from the Skye hikes and Inverness walks yesterday - so everything is a bit of an effort.

Around 3pm, loads of people were arriving, the beach which was almost exclusively ours suddenly became busy (about 30 people) the shock of it - so we packed up and came home.  We had booked tea out at one of the Plockton pubs for the evening, we decided to walk there and back, so we had showers, got changed and headed down into the woods.  The walk was supposed to be 1.5 miles, but it felt a lot longer, through dense, muggy forest.  We walked quickly but it didn't seem come close for ages.

We had an ok meal at the pub - we felt quite rushed by the staff.  I got a portion of Plockton prawns for a starter for Tom and I (langoustines) whilst Matt had crab soup (which was very good)  Then moulds marieneres for me, cod and chorizo for Tom and a pork chop for Matt.  When I say pork chop, what was exactly what he got - a pork chop on a plate, a small bucket of chips on the side, no veggies at all which is a bit strange.  I was happy with my lot, but on the way home, my tummy decided to reject the mussels and I had to run to the toilet (not easy when it is 1.5 miles through a muggy forest!) Got there just in time!  Oh hum, it was nice to be out though.

Scenic Train Ride to Inverness

Not content with having a long, active day on Skye yesterday, we decided to head to Inverness for the day today.  Bit of a long day...the train out was 06.28 and we didn't get back until 20.15.  Bit of a long day then.  

None of us had ever been to Inverness but more importantly the train trip is known as being one of the most scenic in the country.  We got up at 5.45 and walked down to the station.  It was a beautiful morning.  Tom was very excited to be given the job of stopping the train (Dun Craig is a request stop only).  He was seen and the driver gave him a hoot to let him know he was going to stop.  We managed to get a table on the lock side of the train.  Our eyes were glued to the scenery all along the loch - it was very very beautiful.  Once we got to Strathcarron we headed inland we were really in the middle of no-where.  We can't quite understand how this line has survived - guessing the fish trade was a bit more lucrative in the past.  The smallest hamlets have stations - with literally 2 or 3 houses - there were 7 request stops on the line - so that gives you an idea of how small the settlements are.

We ate our first breakfast on the train - iced buns for the boys and an egg sandwich for me which we brought from home.  We then sat back to enjoy the ride.  Tom spotted some deer stags and we saw a couple of highland moos but really not enough!

The train got busier once we got to Dingwall - where it became a commuter train, arriving into Inverness at 8.50am.  We stepped out of the station, had a good look round and found a café that we had been recommended by a local in Plockton - the Artysans.  It opened just as we arrived and it did us proud.  Homemade baked beans on toast for me and Matt (Matt had haggis on the side of course) and a sausage bun for Tom - all very nice.  We then had a quick look around some touristy shops (Matt was after a T-shirt and me a patch) and then headed down to the river Ness where we did a walk down to the crazy golf which we had promised Tom.

We had a great time at the crazy golf - Tom and I were pretty rubbish, so Matt won.  But it was fun and it was sunny and hot and everyone was in a good mood.  

After a game we stayed for a drink and then had a good 'mess around' playing table tennis, where Tom got an attack of the giggles and couldn't stop! By now it was lunchtime so we headed to the Botanical Gardens next door for lunch.  It was quite busy but we managed to find ourselves a table and a sandwich each.  We then went for a walk around them - it was quite small but very nice.  

We decided to have another game of crazy golf as it was one price for all day, I did worse!  Matt won again!  Oh hum.  We said goodbye to the lovely man who ran it, then went for a walk in the Ness islands which were very lovely.  We then walked back to the city and found ourselves a cafe for a sit-down and a drink - all of us had aching feet and were hot, hot, hot!

We then went souvineer shopping - didn't find many interesting shops, but I did get a patch and Matt got himself a T-shirt and Tom found himself a tartan Rubik's cube.  

We got back to the station with an hour to spare, so we went to Pizza Express next to the station for a quick pizza before boarding a very hot train back to Dun Craig - no air conditioning, not fun when you are wearing a mask and it is hot outside.  Luckily the driver sorted it out after we left.  We were all exhausted and could have nodded off if there hadn't have been the promise of beautiful scenery, it was worth staying awake for and we saw loads of deer this time too.

View from Dun Craig Station on our return

Skye Adventure

Sunday, the weather had brightened up, it wasn't raining and the forecast was for it to get better and better as the day went on, so we packed the van and headed over to Skye for the day.  As soon as the road headed down we were in thick fog, so much so that you couldn't see the water below the Skye bridge as we went over.  Oh well, we drove up towards Portree - as we got closer, the clouds were beginning to lift.  

I had found an itinerary for Skye on the internet which we followed - full of places we hadn't explored before. First was the Old Man Storr which is very famous, huge cores of stone sticking out of the earth.  It was still a little foggy when we arrived, but as we walked up towards it, the clouds started to clear.  It was a hard and steep walk, but worth it and literally as we arrived the mist rolled back and we had blue sky.  

The formations were certainly quite a site.  We walked around them and then discovered a path up the back which took you further up, we went up - oh my, it was a scary path - basically vertical loose earth!  I had my pole so stuck that in to help me up, Tom was on all fours clinging to any rock sticking out the earth - I don't know how he did it, but he made it and I was very proud - he said if it wasn't for climbing club he wouldn't have been able to do it.  

We spent some time up there before heading back down again - a different route - still a bit scary but not half as bad as the route up.  By the time we left we were under blue skies.  It stayed that for the rest of the day - deep blue sky and no wind at all.  Just perfect weather for exploring.

We then headed back to the car and hopped in to our next stop: Lealt Falls - an impressive set of waterfalls right on the side of the road.  By now our tummies were starting to rumble, so we skipped the next site (Kilt Rock) hoping to find an establishment in the next village, Staffin.  We had googled whether things would be open in Skye on a Sunday and had found that it wasn't like the Outer Hebrides, and things were pretty much as normal on a Sunday.  We found 2 cafes and a little supermarket - they were all closed!!!  This is where having the van makes life a bit easier.  We drove back to kilt rock and parked up, turned the gas on and boiled some water for the 3 pots of dried noodles we had in the van for emergency.  They were spot on and helped revive us all.  As we were clearing up, a young piper turned up, dressed in full kilt etc and started to play.  Fantastic (I always like a man in a kilt), really added to the occasion.  The rocks were pretty impressive too.

Next on the itinerary was Quiraing which was an area towards the top of the island, famed for wonderful scenery we headed up a narrow one track road to see it.  

Got there to find a huge car park and  a burger van in it!  Oh well, not sure a burger would have sat well with all the walking.  We decided to do a short walk here - so instead of the 4 mile suggested route we thought we would walk as far as the big rock formation we could see - turns out it was about 2 miles there so although we didn't do the whole circuit, we did do another 4 miles (however, doing it that way we missed the steep bit of the route which was pretty lucky).  

It was a grand walk, with good views and interesting formations. 

We were pretty parched when we got back, so sank a bottle of pop and chocolate bar each before heading back south again to the Fairy Glen.  This wasn't even sign posted so we were a little unsure if it was a 'place' but luckily after passing a holiday cottage called Fairy Glen Cottage we thought we were in the right place and suddenly after a mile or two of very narrow road we found a decent sized car park.  We parked up and explored.  It was a shame we had tired legs (well when I say we - I mean Matt and I) the place was certainly very special. 

Lots of green hillocks which reminded me of Hobbiton and then in the centre of them another rock formation which looked like a turret and a perfect circle of miniature standing stones.  It certainly had an effect on Tom who went a bit loopy running around and around and up and down the hillocks - he made us tired to watch him!  Maybe he was a fairy in a previous life (or maybe he still had the spirit of the tooth fairy upon him - another one came out on Friday).  I was a little to sad to leave the place, could have spent half a day there just soaking up the atmosphere.  However, it was getting late and we had no food!

We made our way to Portree where we found the Co-op open - phew.  We bought some provisions, but then decided to head into the centre of Portree to see if we could get fish and chips as we were all mega hungry.  We could, we had to stand in line for over half an hour, but it was worth it to not have to cook or find a restaurant with space for us.  We sat on by the water eating them in sunshine.  They didn't touch the side!

Then the long drive home, I took over the driving at this point, figured Matt had done enough.  The roads are surprisingly good on Skye - better than on the mainland!  We were home sooner than we thought, stopped to take a pic of the bridge on the way home as the water was clearly visible this time round!

A fabulous day out, but we were shattered!

Seals

So today we decided to stay local again.  We booked ourselves on a boat trip from Plockton to attempt to see some seals.  The host is famous for saying if you don't see any seals you get your money back.  Apparently this has only happened about 6 times. 

Strangely for us, the weather wasn't that great today!  The mist was down on the loch and there was rain in the air.  However, it didn't stop us from being on the boat - the water in the loch was as still as could be - so it would be an easy ride.

We had success, found loads of them distributed on rocks in the loch.  They were all Common Seals, and were obviously used to seeing the boat putting around.  In fact we were beginning to wonder if we were an attraction for them rather that them an attraction for us.  They certainly played up for the camera, waving at us, showing us their best side, preening themselves and, of course, farting away for our amusement.  Think we saw about 100 all together - so no money was coming back to us!  Felt like we were in the boat for a lot longer than the one hour.

We were hoping to see a sea eagle too - but no luck - the mist was down so they were probably huddled together in their nests waiting for it to clear.

We decided to go to Kyle of Lochalsh for lunch - to try out a seafood shack we saw there.  A large cup of Cullen Skink for Matt, a huge prawn roll for Tom and huge pan fried scallops and salad for me.  All of which we ate in the van as it was raining.  I was in heaven - the scallops were sooooo tender, well seasoned and the salad beautiful and with no tomatoes.  I got 6 huge scallops for £10 -  who could ask for more?

Unfortunately the weather wasn't getting any better, however, we decided to walk around the town.  We had seen a sign for a museum and handicraft shop at the station so we headed over to it.  Unfortunately there were only empty rooms, everything had gone - another casualty from Covid I gather.  We couldn't find anything else of note in Kyle to look at (if I was to live here, I would choose Plockton over Kyle in a breath!) so went to the co-op to get some more bits and bobs for breakfasts and headed home.

Dun Craig Castle

The afternoon was spent chilling out at home, reading, quizzing, playing Ticket to Ride (Matt won again!) and then making tea whilst watching the final of The 100 - we have all got into it big time and really want to go to a couple of games next year.  

Hoping the weather will pick up tomorrow - planning a trip around Skye.

Scotland: Cycling around our new home area

 Friday - we woke up quite late, and it seemed to take an age to get out of the house - trying to make sure we had everything we needed.  We had decided to spend the day on bikes.  So once we had everything, we headed first to a rare breeds farm.  

This was a hap hazard affair obviously run by some eccentric owners (who we never saw).  We paid a donation and walked in - lots of rare breed chickens running around, then a lama who took a shine to us (we had food with us), past some basic wooden chalets to a field with a pig in it (we didn't find it) and then a horse, donkey and some more free range lamas and miniature sheep.  We found a footpath across the railway line, so did that on to a rocky beach and hung around to see one of the trains head pass - tell you what, we could have run faster than the train, but it is going to be so so scenic when we are on it (just as well as we will have to get the 6.28am service)

We walked back through the farm (still no owners around) and got the bikes and headed to Duirinish, a small, very pretty little village we noticed yesterday on our way here for two reasons: 1) it had highland coos and 2) it had a good looking café.  We were not disappointed on either count.  A field full of coos and the café had the most amazing food.  Tom had a vat of macaroni cheese and chips, Matt got his cullen skink and I had carrot, cumin and feta fritters.  All of it was very delicious and luckily Tom couldn't eat all of his macaroni cheese so I got to eat a bit of it too - made me very happy!  I think we will be back if we can.

View of Duncraig Castle from Plockton

We then cycled on to Plockton for a little explore.  It is very scenic, hugging the shore of Loch Carron.  Tom had a little paddle in the Loch - the water was so clear.  Unfortunately we didn't have a towel with us or he would have had a full swim.  We then had an ice cream, explored an island which had a little causeway due to the tide being out, and then headed back home, up the hill.

It was a very lovely day - it was warm (about 20 degrees), the scenery beautiful, lots of nice animals, a train, and we are now able to have a lovely bike ride together as a family now that I have an electric bike.  And yes, it might be cheating, but my bum still hurts and my legs are aching!

Scotland! Ingleton to Plockton

So FINALLY we are on our holidays.  It seemed to take ages to get to here, and then of course the week we went away was completely manic - realised the day before we left that Tom had no school shoes, trainers, football boots etc etc for school, so had to do a quick trip to Kendal to get all that on top of trying to work out what to pack etc etc.

We decided to go a day earlier than planned, having a van we can do that - yay!.  We worked out that it was 380ish miles to get to our first destination, which is a bit of a long day, especially as once we passed Glasgow the roads get narrower and narrower.  So Matt spent some time on Google trying to find a campsite in the right sort of area with availability for the Wednesday night.  Took a while but he got there in the end.

So, we packed the van up - all very strategic as we were taking the bike carrier with us and we discovered that once the bike carrier was on we couldn't open the boot door - so everything we needed for the first day would need to be up top.  Got there in the end and we headed off around 10.30 as planned.  We had a very easy journey to Moffat where (of course) we had to have our lunch at Café Arieté - Matt's first taste of haggis - very important.  We then went to the toffee shop so Matt could buy himself a bottle of whiskey (another tradition) before headed on up and through Glasgow to Drymen where we took some very narrow roads to find our campsite.

Eyes closed when catching!

Eyes open when catching...

Was a lovely campsite too - very small and on the West Highland Way so was mainly hikers with big backpacks.  We were the only camper there and were put on a big field with 2 other families.  Was a lovely quiet site, mainly because most people were exhausted hikers and also no alcohol was allowed on site (although we did sneak in a bottle of whisky and had a dram behind our blinds!)  Tom was quite excited and we had a couple of mad sessions of running around like loons to get rid of his energy!  We had curry and rice for tea (I made the curry yesterday to make it easy on us), then a shower and bed.

It was a quiet night - and we slept better - still not great at sleeping in the van, but we will get there. We packed up and were on the road by 10.  I did the first stint - along Loch Lomand to the Green Welly Stop in Tyndrum.  Beautiful scenery and not too much traffic on the road which is great.  After a cake and toilet break at the Green Welly Stop, we headed on our way through Rannock Moor and Glencoe to Fort William where we parked up at Morrisons, had lunch in a greasy spoon at the train station and found a barber's for Tom to get his hair done (I hate cutting Tom's hair - it is so fine, it is easy to get it wrong).  

Then back in the van through the West Highlands to Kyle of Lochalsh to do some shopping (local butchers and co-op) before heading to our holiday cottage in Duncraig which is just across Loch Carron from Plockton.  We had trouble locating our holiday cottage (door had changed colour and instructions weren't quite right) but we got there in the end.  We are in a tiny cottage which is part of the old stable block at Duncraig Castle.  Very much the middle of no-where. It has two bedrooms and a lounge / diner / kitchen all open plan which is how we like it on holiday (I hate having to cook in a separate room to everyone else when we are away).  We unloaded the van and then went for a look around.  

We walked down to the castle which has been converted into a very luxurious Bed and Breakfast and looks very very lovely.  However, that wasn't the main thing for us to see, because, in the grounds of the castle is its very own train station - which is a request stop on the Kyle to Inverness route.  They were very impressed by it - a cute station which fits a 2 carriage train nicely.  It has 4 trains a day each way, we will have a day trip to Inverness whilst we are here so they can use it!

We walked back, I made tea (pork chops from the butchers), and then Matt had a scary 30 mins when he thought his computer wasn't charging (all sorted) and before we knew it, it was time for bed.  Everyone was quite tired.

August in Ingleton

It's August and Tom's already been on holiday for over 2 weeks and isn't going back to school until the second week of September.  He has over 7.5 weeks holiday this year beginning to wonder if QES think they are a private school - it's an insanely long holiday - would be much better if they took 2 weeks off it and added them to Easter and the October half term.

Anyway back to these holidays... Sunday morning Tom went swimming with Annabel and came back streaming and feeling rubbish.  Straight to Covid test - he was clear.  The plan was for him to go to cricket with Matt in the afternoon as Ingleton were playing Sedgwick and we knew a couple of his friends might be there, but he wasn't having it - he felt ill and wanted to stay at home so Matt went by himself.  Tom had a two hour bath and then watched a James Bond.  He seemed better - but not 100% (how many times have I said that this year?!)

Monday our plan was to have brunch and a walk with the Fosters (well Anne and Lauren anyway!) we met up at the Knight's Table at 10am to find that it didn't open until 11am!  So we went for a mini walk down to Stainforth Force (how have I never been there before?!) before heading back up at 11 for some bacon butties / beans on toast.  We then headed up the hill to Smearsett Scar.  The kids just legged it up there, Matt and Anne did fine and I huffed and puffed after them (Covid lbs and hayfever isolation means I have lost some fitness!)  Oh hum, it was a lovely morning / afternoon - didn't get back to our cars until around 2pm. Was good to have a natter and Anne is brilliant at nattering.

Tuesday, can't remember what we did in the morning, but in the afternoon we headed up to Ribblehead for a walk with the Raddas.  They are always great company and Katie and Jon such great storytellers that we find ourselves giggling the whole way round.  We just happened to walk past the Station Inn so stopped off for a pint and then headed back to their cottage.  The sun was still out and the men were wanting more beers, so we sat out in their garden drinking and nattering for the evening until the midges got so bad that we had to leave.  Was a really really lovely afternoon.

Wednesday morning, Tom and I went for a bike ride - up to Kingsdale, across the waterfalls walk and down Oddies Lane back to Ingleton - was a lovely morning for it and now I have the electric bike so so much easier.  I actually like to go for a bike ride these days.  We stopped for a cider refresher at the top of the falls before heading home (didn't taste quite as good as I remember them!) 

At home in the afternoon Tom couldn't think of anything to do, so, we carried on with his bedroom.  We opened up the other side of his wardrobe and went through all his books / toys etc.  

Once again it took forever, created clouds of dust but it needed doing and we ended up with another bin liner of goodies for the jumble sales.  In the evening Matt was playing a friendly match of cricket against Aysgarth.  Tom went along to watch, as did I.  Ingleton only had 9 men, I said it was a shame Tom wasn't 13 as then he would be able to play for them, however, as it was a friendly, normal rules don't apply and they were desperate (one of the players had his wife and Dad playing for Ingleton) so he was told to go and get his kit.  

He did and he got to bat, field and bowl!  He did ok too, luckily the bowlers on the other team were quite slow so he was able to bat ok - scored some runs.  He bowled ok too and his team mates (late teenagers and 20 year olds) all got behind him: "come on Tom lad" etc etc and were very complimentary.  None of them had seen him play before so didn't know what to expect, think they were pleasantly surprised.  Matt was so proud, Tom was mega proud too - he was really cocky when he got back home, but unsurprisingly so, he was in a team where most of his team mates were at least double his age and he held his own!   Maybe he might be able to play for the second team next year (although he does need to bulk up a bit first!)

Thursday Tom and I went into Settle in the morning to do some shopping and have lunch.  Then we had a quiet afternoon in the rain before I took him over to Meadow Falls - as he was having a sleep over with Annabel.  Matt and I were down for our hot air balloon ride in the morning - it is a 6am start.  However, the weather had turned, it looked very much as if the balloon ride wouldn't happen, however, he and Annabel were excited for the sleepover so it went ahead anyway.  Matt and I did some last minute phoning around to find a place for dinner out in a pub, no luck, but on the way home I drove past La Cascada, we called them, they had room!  So, we had a very pleasant evening in La Cascada eating way too much and drinking way too much!  We staggered home, happy!

Friday, spent the morning cleaning and catching up on computer work until Tom came home after a morning at the campsite and a session swimming in the pool.

Saturday the weather was awful and we had booked for a outside house clean: our house got really really dirty when Tom Brown was building his - with lots of trucks belching out their fumes onto our walls.  After sorting out our windows, doors and woodwork, we needed to get the paintwork done so after a little bit of FB help we found someone who could help us.  Unfortunately it rained all day for him - so he was soaking - but he was happy and refused to come in to shelter from the rain or use the toilet etc. Anyway, after 6 hours the house was looking amazing.  He did the patio as well, which was black.  The difference was amazing - almost too bright to be outside in the sunshine near it now!

Sunday was another miserable day - we went to Goat Gap for lunch and watched a film in the afternoon.

Monday - we met up with Liz and Annabel and had a day out with them to Yorkshire Wildlife Oasis.  A cute little zoo near Milnthorpe.  This is another one that has had bad press in the past - but has new owners and is turning things round.  Annabel really wanted to see the meerkats - they put on a good display.  

There was also a Fossa which I had never heard off (biggest mammal in Madagascar - part of the mongoose family), two snow leopards and plenty of other smaller creatures.  We had a good time.  We left in time to find lunch somewhere nice.  First (lovely looking) pub was closed for a funeral, second place was closed on Mondays, so we headed to Arnside where we knew that there would be a couple of options - well acutualy there was only one option as the cafe I know and like was closed and new management taking it over.  So we went to the pub which we have never gone to before.  They were stretched to the max so service wasn't great, but the food came eventually and it was as described and we ate up (once I could get hold of some cutlery!).  

We then left the kids to go for a paddle in the sea whilst we went to get some drinks.  We got back to the beach to find both Tom and Annabel up to their necks in the sea (is that a paddle?!)  We couldn't quite believe our eyes!  Made us laugh, but they were fully clothed and we didn't have any spare dry clothes for them!  Oh hum, we got them hot chocolates each and made them strip and wear our jumpers!  What numptys! Also that meant the day was over as we couldn't do anything else as they were freezing! 

Tuesday - time for Matt's birthday present which was a day out at Yorkshire Wildlife Park which is near Doncaster.  Takes a while to get over there, so I booked tickets for 11.30am.  We left at 8am and got there around 10ish.  We waited half an hour and then headed in, they accepted us.  Now this is a park we've not heard about until we discovered that they have 8 polar bears and as Matt has a 'thing' for them we had to visit.  The zoo was amazing, it felt like it had just been built this year, everything looked brand new, the enclosures were huge.  They had most of the big animals you expect: giraffes, lions, tigers, rhinos etc as well as many creatures we hadn't ever heard of eg Geladas (monkeys from Ethiopia if you were wondering?!)  We followed the path in, stopping to watch anything that was out.  It was pretty busy at the start - a little bit too busy for my liking, but soon everyone spread out and it felt fine.  

We had a sit down, tea and a bun break and then discovered that one set of polar bears were quite near so we headed off to see them.  We weren't disappointed, it was a family group: mum and her 3 cubs: Tala, Indie and Yuma.  They were in the pool swimming and then they came out one by one.  They were mesmerising to watch - such huge creatures and they seem to have a great sense of play and fun.  One (Yuma) had a ball and obviously loved playing with it - diving on to it in their pool and then taking it over an obstacle course.  Mum and the other two hung out with each other.  It was like watching a regular family having fun together, they were obviously happy.  We managed to pull ourselves away from them and headed round the rest of the zoo - we saw rhinos, lions, kangaroos etc.  Our tummies started to complain, so we headed to one of the cafes for lunch and a welcome sit down.  

The afternoon was spent mainly watching polar bears.  We found the other enormous enclosure which is home to 4 male polar bears.  They put on a great display for us: plodding slowly towards us, having a play with each other (they only fight when short of food), hanging out in a cave, just slowly taking in life.  They were all magnificent specimens and once again quite mesmerising.   When we finished with them, we went back to see the family.  Only Yuma was out, he had his ball and was playing happily by himself.  He would climb out of his pool, throw his ball into the pool and then dive in after it.  He was clearly having a great time and we so loved watching him.  We finally said our goodbyes, went for an ice cream and sit down before heading to see the other bears again and finish up the remaining tracks and animals we hadn't yet seen before leaving at 5pm.  A quick look around the shop before heading into their 'Darwin' themed restaurant for dinner.  We got back to the van around 7pm and headed to a car park we had found on 'Park4night' App to stay overnight.  When we arrived, we were both worried that it might be a bit dodgy, but it turned out absolutely fine, it was a car park which was access for a forest.  

We went for a walk in the forest on Wednesday morning, ended up playing on a swing for a while and just enjoyed taking in the atmosphere of the forest which was obviously very old wondering what the trees had seen in their long lives.  We then headed back to Ingleton via Keelham Farm Shop to pick up some food and Helifield Station for a quick lunch.  It had been a great break - felt like we had been away longer.  We will certainly revisit the Wildlife Park again.

Thursday, as we are now converted bird watchers, we thought it would be good to revisit RSPB's Leighton Moss, although our knowledge of wetland birds isn't the greatest.  We made a day of it, and visited all the hides.  Typical the best one was the last one (the Eric Morecambe Hide).  We saw Avocets, Grey Herons, Spoonbills, Green, Red and Red Spotted Shanks.  We came away happy.

Friday, a grey and drizzly morning.  Tom and I spent the morning cooking as we had weekend visitors.  Tom made a lasagna whilst I made bbq ribs.  Tom did a fantastic job - he made the bolognaise sauce with out any help except with quantities of spices and herbs.  Normally I have to ask him to re-chop veggies as he does them too big, but not this time and he did the onions all by himself (albeit in swimming googles).  I helped him with the cheese sauce - only to speed up the process, not because he couldn't do it himself. 

The afternoon saw Tom out on Twistleton climbing with the climbing club whilst I got the house ready for our guests: scrubbing the bathrooms, kitchen, vacuuming everywhere, getting rid of the worse of the cobwebs etc.  Our problem is that we don't tidy / clean up for ourselves, but will do for guests, but recently (of course) we haven't had many guests, meaning the house does tend to get a bit neglected.  

The evening was spent in the village square: Alice was doing a free gig so Janine and I went up to listen to her, Tom met me there so we had pizzas from Elaine for tea.  Apparently a 10 inch pizza wasn't enough for Tom so he had a huge nutella and banana crepe too - the boy is creeping upwards again!  Was a really nice atmosphere in the square, people were dancing on the road which must have seemed a bit bizarre to those visitors who were driving through the village for the first time and having to dodge dancers of all ages, shapes and sizes.  Matt in the meantime was at the Old Post Office with his Friday evening pals.

Saturday, the Komorovskis arrived.  The morning was spent stripping beds and doing laundry.  We weren't too sure who to expect as both me and Matt had received different info from Karen and Adam.  It was just Rosa and Karen and Teddy the dog, Leia and Adam were coming tomorrow for various reasons too complicated to explain here.  Originally I had booked swimming for the kiddies on both days of their visit, but a lack of life guards meant that Saturday's session got cancelled, so instead of that we decided to do the quarry walk which includes stepping stones that Rosa would enjoy and Teddy could have a good swim in the river.  

It all went well, although Teddy (who is a Fox Red Labrador) went a bit mad pulling on the lead, he tripped Matt and Karen.  Unfortunately he was too strong for Tom and really a bit too strong for Karen, me and Matt, he has such immense strength when on the lead.  Thing is he is lovely in the house, didn't chew anything, didn't destroy anything, was gentle and kind (although a bit looney) but on the lead he is a nightmare.  Karen took him off the lead where she could (ie when there were no sheep in a field) and he was fine, coming back when called, but on the lead he tugged, tugged, tugged.  Think Karen was pleased when we got home, she said that he was the worse ever today - probably because he is an inner city dog, this was his first experience of the great countryside.  Anyway, we had a lovely evening.  Rosa and Tom decided to sleep in the van, so we had an uninterrupted night.

Sunday, Adam and Leia arrived on the train.  Matt went to pick them up.  Matt was playing cricket today at home, so Adam went across to watch him whilst we hung out at home.  Then Rosa, Tom and Leia went swimming with Karen and I spectating.  So at home Tom and Rosa hung out together (Rosa is 9 but Leia is 14 and a full card carrying teenager (according to her parents - she was fine with us but apparently she is normally a nightmare!) in the pool, however, the tables turned and Tom and Leia were buddies and Rosa played by herself.  Tom and Leia used to be really good friends (even sleeping together in the same bed) until Leia went to High School and suddenly she didn't want anything to do with him. It is funny how these dynamics play out.  The cricket didn't take too long so we all managed to have tea together and another sociable evening before bed.

Monday, the Komorovskis left for home about 10, we then tidied up and rearranged the house back to normal.  I put together a big box of chocolates and medals for Gingerbugs and took them round before making a lemon tart and all of us heading round to the Wilkinsons for tea.  We had raclette - which was fun, a bit like a fondue, but grilling rather than boiling which is a bit safer all round.  Between us all we got through a LOT of cheese and a LOT of wine (poor Matt was on driving duty so missed out - was fab wine too).  Was a really good evening - our friendship has come to be over lockdown so this was our first time in their house (oh my - it was immaculate and straight out of a magazine!) but the conversation didn't falter and we had a very good night. 

Tuesday, we decided to head to Scotland a day early - ie Wednesday but I still hadn't done the school shop with Tom, so we were up early to get to Kendal before it got busy.  Bought school shoes, trainers, football boots (oh - he is size 8 now!!!!!), stationery etc in a mad dash so we were home in time for lunch and a cricket session on the field for Tom.  I then spent the afternoon attempting to put together all the bits and pieces we would need for Scotland.  Felt like a manic week!