Holmfirth wine tour

A quick overnight trip with Angela to Holmfirth, home of the TV programme Last of the Summer Wine. This didn't mean anything to me, but it is an interesting little town outside Huddersfield. The site was fine, pitches a bit small I would say but there were lots of units there. There was a shop, a pond, and I was next to the river, so I can see why it would be popular.

We had beef and Yorkshire puds for lunch at The Bridge pub, a walk around the town including a lovely right-on eco shop (Fair Trader), ice cream parlour and art gallery.

The next day it was raining quite hard. We tried and failed to find the Sheveling vineyard above the town - the country's most northerly. The sat navs were going crazy and the narrow, steep roads were no good for a motorhome so after a conflab in a car park we decided to call it off and head home.


When I got back Charlie seemed to have got on ok with the automatic feeder. It was his first night alone, and he seemed none the worse, which was a relief.

Trips put on paws

Somehow in September I acquired Charlie, my 8-year old, toothless, rescue cat. While he was getting used to being in his new home, I thought it best not to go away overnight.

I don't think he will end up being a van cat, so I'll be relying on auto-feeders and cat sitters.

Gellilydan

Wednesday

Tudor house. DLG museum and grave

Porthmadoc beer shop

CMC site

Thursday

RAIN - Electric Mountain / Dinorwic Llanberis, 

Drove back past Green Man site and Bedd Gelert but didn't stop.

Aberdaron

        

Sunday

1. St Bueno's Cynnog Fawr

2. Nant Gwrtheyrn - down to centre, fishcakes, climb up.

3. Maritime museum - Nefyn?

4. Walk across golf course to pub. Cafe bara brith.

5. Aberdaron site - slopey, tiny village. Aweful night, gales, rain, I was mashed in to the side of the van.

Monday

Rotten morning, cafe shut, 7 mile drive to get fuel. Then - wow - Felin Uchaf. Sheep mat. Down to Aberdaron, church, NT art exhibit, lunch on site in the sun. Bardsey lovely, but cold wind.

Tuesday

Porth Or - singing sands, cofee, jasper? House and art gallery, theatre Llanbedrog. 3 ladies house, hells mouth. Ice cream in Aberdaron.

Lleyn Peninsular

A lovely week on the Lleyn Peninsular - Caernarvon, Aberdaron and Electric Mountain.

See Wales.

Caernarvon stopover

      

I arrived on Friday evening, to a slightly disappointing pitch - pretty much on the driveway of a farm, but I could see the estuary and it was easy to walk in to town the next day. 

Lloyd George statue

Cloudy and drizzly weather continued, but I walked up to Segontium Roman fort which is at the top of the town, before continuing on to Abadaron.

Matlock, Derbyshire

Back touring in the van after a month of festival weekends. I met up with Angela at Rowsley, a good base for the Derbyshire Peak District. We stayed behind a pub called The Grouse and Claret.

Across the road was Cauldwell's Mill, a flour mill and craft centre/shop/cafe.




The next day we got the bus down to Matclock and spent a few hours fossicking in an amazing number of shops selling vintage housewares, second hand or handmade clothes, furniture, and a huge 'antique' emporium. We were quite dazed in the end, so went to the pub for lunch.

In the afternoon, called in at the Peak Shopping Centre next to the campsite, and finally got some walking trousers from Mountain Warehouse - 15% discount for showing CMC card.

On Sunday we checked out a cycle-hire place on the Monsal Trail, something we might do next Spring. It was a drizzly day so after a bacon butty we headed for home.

All roads lead to Pateley Bridge

We're in the middle of a long, hot spell and so I took off to make the most of it.

I spent a lazy weekend at Pateley Bridge, sitting in the sun, apart from walking in to visit the museum, taking a walk over to Brimham Rocks with the Meetup group...

and a short drive up to Scar Reservoir.

York! So good they named it once

Smashing trip to York with Angela, stayed on a pretty CL all enclosed in a glade, with a small pond and cute ducklings.

Arrived Friday and spent the evening sitting out in the summer evening, gassing and sipping G&T until late.

Due to a slight mis-calculation on gin quantities, rose very late and 'feeling peaky' so wolfed down a cooked breakfast before heading in to town on the bus.

Spent a day in the sun on a river trip, in the museum gardens and roaming the Shambles.

Struggled with my feminist credentials while watching the parade of young women in miniskirts teetering along in OUTRAGEOUS heels on the cobbled stones. The devil on my shoulder was shouting 'they're dressed like whores and will break their ankles and it's only lunch time!' and the angel whispered 'leave them be you hypocrite, women can do and wear what they like - that's feminism for you'. Still not sure who wins the debate, must be my Methodist upbringing.

Sunday we headed off to Fountains Abbey which looked fantastic under clear blue skies.

Home to find my favourite son called David watching the footie, so had a nice catch up.