Milestones meetup, Wicken Fen, Ely

Met up with Jane, Jim, Wendy and Steve at Milestones site just off the A1. (Plus Eddie the lovely hound.) Sunday night we had a catch up and curry in J&Js van, then headed to the pub (attached to the Milestones brewery).

Monday 23rd

We got the bus over to Newark, and headed for the market square for a coffee. There was a rather sparse market in progress but nearly everything else I wanted to visit was closed - even the National Civil War Museum! Well it is a Monday in March I suppose. I'll have to go back. We'd hoped for lunch at the Prince Rupert pub but it was ...closed. However the Castle Barge bar was great - it's on a barge by the castle! Good lunch and several beers later we headed back to the site. Pub in the evening.

Tues 24th

We walked over to Cromwell Lock, which was a good route for Winter and an interesting place, although it is the site of a military tragedy. Plus passed some birdy spots on the old quarry infills. When I got back I used my grill for the first time and did a big brunch of toast, bacon, egg, tomatoes and mushrooms - corrr.... Read a book while the winds blew, very rocky.

Wed 25th

Windy again, and we parted company - I was off to Wicken Fen. The campsite was a bit weird, me and 3 single men on a quite run-down camping area. I guess they were there for work. But it had facilities, was quiet and I could walk to Wicken Fen. I saw marsh harrier, shoveller, pochard chicks. Quite a pretty place but hard to see any birds in the reeds and tangled woods. 

NOTE TO SELF - Don't drive on B roads in a fenland area, they are shocking in places. And some of the A roads are crap too!

Thurs 26

Popped in to nearby Kingfisher Bridge nature reserve for what I thought would be a quick trip, but was there for hours, great place for wildlife: hares, sparrowhawk, Egyptian geese, 2 marsh harriers, mistle thrush, sand martin, horses and water buffalo! 

It was a beautiful but cold day, and sadly the caff was closed so off to my next site for lunch - Heatherbield, which was a lovely place. 

Bus to Ely, and went for a coffee to wait for the fire alarm at the cathedral to subside. Ely is a pretty city in the cathedral quarter, and quite a few independent shops. Spent hours in the spectacular cathedral, must be in my top 3 ever visited. Inside was a great stained glass window museum, very lovely.

Fri 27th - Off to stay with Paul and Sue at Holbeach Hurn for a Garden House gig (Aldern and Patterson).

Kirbymoorside

 

The first trip of 2026, on a site that was hard to locate - it is only on campsites.co.uk

Saturday 24th

On the way I stopped at Pickering, which is a much steeper town than I remembered! Sadly the museum, castle, and train centre were all closed for the season. But I had a nice shopping trip - an inde bookshop, some locally made earrings, and a stonking sausage roll with black pudding. 

The church was open, so I went and had another look at the tremendous murals inside.

Next stop was Cawthorn Roman Camp. Up a filthy track into a circle of trees, then a short circular walk around the remains, plus a grand view halfway round. The remains are little more than hillocks now, and look better in real life than in this photo.

Arrived for the night at the small farm site with 6 hard-standings. Just EHU and disposals. 

Sunday 25th

Woke late and took the lovely 10 minute walk to the village. Found an open public loo! I was so excited I had to use them...

Nosed around, including the church of course, then on the walk back I went to the Gavel and Bean coffee shop, which is attached to Ryedale auction house.  Hanging on the wall was a mysterious guitar that no-one could tell me about, but later research by one of my Facebook pals revealed it to be the bass of Syd Little! He played it in the 1960s and it was also played backstage by Sir Paul McCartney.

Syd Little's bass guitar

Sunday 26th

Home via Iceland at York to stock up on Slimming World frozen meals. Bargains.

Christmassy break in Grassington

Friday December 26th

This is becoming a bit of a tradition. I headed up to Grassington again on Boxing Day, for a 3 night stay, It was my first winter stay in the new van and I was a bit jittery having seen endless posts in the Wildax Fb group about the vagaries of the the heating and its control panel. But it all worked beautifully, and a setting of 13/14 degrees was ample.

Spot the festive Stormtrooper

Saturday

Walked into the village and had a lovely tapas lunch of fresh anchovies and garlic/tomato bread with Spanish beer - this place is worth coming back to. Walked down to Linton falls, seeing a yellow wagtail on the way. Went to the visitor centre and bought a map for the walk to Grass Wood tomorrow, but it looks as if it will be very muddy. Back by 2.15 as it was cold. Ordered some locks for the Heiki vent, to try and stop it rattling in the wind, and booked Steve to come and fix the bathroom tambour, which had jumped its rails. Sigh. 

Sunday

Walked up river to a place called the strid. Egret, kestrel. I didn't go on the walk to Grass Wood, it was bone-bitingly cold with grey skies, but I was out for about 2 hours on the river so that was a good day. 

Dinner at the Gamekeeper Inn for their stonking meat pie, and afterwards I shared a table in the bar with other campers and had a nice chat.

NB Initially I was given the crappest table in the place, a 6 seater, opposite the main door and next to the loos. Then I was moved to one of the nice 2-seaters in the conservatory that I much preferred. Was this because someone saw sense? No. It was because I had been put on a dog-friendly table and had no dog. So basically the crappest table until it was decided I should be evicted in favour of a mutt. So now you know the solo diners place in the hierarchy. 

Post trip update: Steve fixed the door and introduced me to the miracle of silicon spray.