At Saleilles, 11 October 2021

I had planned, this morning, to get up while the Swan Whisperer was having his run, and go to the nearby bakery for croissants.  Only he completely foiled me by not going for a run, and announced that "he was getting up now".  So I had to send him for croissants, instead. 

We left Limoux at about 10:00 a.m., having told the satnav to take us across country.  We were so very glad we did - it was a really, really lovely drive!  The roads were (mostly) excellent, and very scenic.  We did stop on the outskirts of Limoux for diesel and shopping, and then again for a bit because we could, but when we began to think of stopping somewhere for lunch, there was a lovely picnic area just outside Maury. 

The "train rouge" ran alongside the car park, and we were rather startled to see a train as we thought they did not run on Mondays. 

This, of course, reminded me of "Le train jaune" which runs up to La Carol-Latour, but, alas, it is out of service this month and I really don't fancy a replacement bus service!  Maybe next time.

We were going to be far too early at Mas Alart - it sells lovely wine, and is beautifully remote, but there is nothing to do when you get there except buy wine!  So we bypassed it and went to the Mediterranean where we watched - I don't quite know what you would call them; they were not conventional kite-surfers (there were some of those), and not conventional sailboarders, either (there was at least one of those, too), but standing on boards that had a sort of keel underneath that they rose up on to cut through the water, and carrying sails that had two halves, to enable them to steer.  The idea seems to be to do jumps and so on, but only one of the people we watched tried, and not very successfully. 

So we went back to the van and had a cup of tea, and then drove to Mas Alart - which is packed out.  Always before when we have been here, we have either been the only van, or at most one other, but there are five or six others here tonight.  We have bought a lot of their delicious rosé, and some of their white, although right now I'm drinking white from Juigné-sur-Loire. 

Meanwhile the SW's results from Saturday are in, and he had a time of 23'16", but not, alas, first in his age grade.  And I had a phone call from King's College Hospital confirming that I do not have cancer, but must have another colonoscopy in three  years time.  So all good stuff..... 

To Saleilles, 10 October 2021

This morning we got up bedtimes and when I had showered and dressed, I went to the boulangerie across the road to buy a croissant for me and a pain au chocolate for the Swan Whisperer which we enjoyed after our boiled eggs. 

Then it was time to go back into Pau, to go to church.  They are still at the stage of asking you to reserve seats if you wish to attend public worship, so I had emailed them the previous day to do so.  We were warmly welcomed, and I think both of us enjoyed the service.  However, there was one awkward moment during the giving of Communion (Bread only, as is usual nowadays).  The chancel had been closed off by the rood screen (although there was a small door left open by the organ) and the actual organ console moved to the middle. 

The organist and the soloist were behind the screen, and when it came to receiving, they both pushed their hands through the railing, like beggars - appropriate, I suppose, but it made both the SW and me laugh. 

They can't, of course, serve coffee after church just now, so we set off fairly soon for what is, I think, the 2nd-longest drive of the holiday, to a town called Limoux.  We went via motorway, but it was a fairly scenic one, and every now and then we caught glimpses of the Pyrenees on the horizon!  We stopped fairly soon for coffee, hoping to be able to empty the grey, but he W, who went to investigate, found that the drain was blocked and unusable.  So we went on, and half an hour later stopped for lunch in a rest area, and then we did not stop again until we got here.  

Here is a very nice little aire, with full services (which we have used) and a piece of ground in front of the Aube

where either boules or pétanque, I don't know the difference, was being played. 

The SW went for a walk and I had planned to go on a short one to reconnoitre the local boulangerie, but somehow that didn't happen.  So I flopped on the bed and reread "Emergency in the Pyrenees" (Well, I had to, didn't I? ) until it was time to get supper.  Which was cod loin with (packet) lemon butter sauce, mashed potato, cabbage and leeks, so we drank some of the white wine we bought from Juigné-sur-Loire, and very good it was, too!  Saleilles tomorrow!

To Saleilles, 9 October 2021

Well, we are now in the Pyrenees, but won't arrive in Saleilles for another two days.  But to begin at the beginning:

We were parked up for the night at a little park near Cubzenais so that the Swan Whisperer could do a parkrun. 

This duly happened - we don't have an actual time as something went wrong with the official time-keeping, but his Strava says it was a little oer 23 minutes, and he came in 3rd.   As is so often the case here, many of the runners were British, including one couple who said they had spent the night in a very nice aire near a chateau, with all amenities laid on!  I had half thought of walking a lap, but when push came to shove I wasn't up for it, so showered, dressed and had my own breakfast while he was out. 

By the time he came back, showered and had breakfast, etc, time was getting on.  First port of call was a Super U where he got diesel and I did a shopping, and then on to the motorway where one of the Aires advertised that it had motorhome services so we went there to empty the grey and the loo.  We didn't take on any water, though, as we have plenty for tonight and tomorrow. 

After that, I don't know what the Satnav thought it was playing at, but it took us off the motorway and all round the rocade around Bordeax, horrible traffic jams all the way!  We had thought we would stay on the motorway all the way!  Anyway, we eventually did arrive on the motorway to Pau which was very quiet.  We stopped twice, once for lunch and once for the SW to make himself some coffee.  I still do not know why coffee wakes him up in the afternoon, but doesn't keep him awake at night. 

When we arrived in Pau, we discovered that the one and only motorhome aire was absolutely jam-packed solid with cars (and one or two motorhomes), so we had to come away.  We tried another place recommended by Park4Night, but it wasn't obvious where to go.  Eventually, we found this rather nice place in a suburb of Pau called Gan, which is much nicer than the original place! 

I think you are supposed to have a wine tasting, but we didn't.  Anyway, only about half an hour from the centre of Pau.  Abd best of all, there is a bakery just across the road which will be open tomorrow so we can have croissants for breakfast!  First time this holiday. 

To Saleilles, 8 October 2021

We did not hurry this morning, and it was not far off noon before we got away, having used the services and made sure we had plenty of water, etc, as we will be without for the next two nights.

Our drive today was enlivened by the Swan Whisperer's desire to see the sea (why, when he could take a train to Brighton any day at home, I do not know), so after calling in at a Carrefour Market (why was my Carrefour card valid, but not my coupon? ) to shop, we drove to Châtelaillon Plage where there was a very useful camping-car park that charged during July and August, but not the rest of the year.  So we parked up there and had lunch, and then went for a wander down to the beach and back. 

French seaside resorts give off a very different vibe to British ones, but, like them, are unmistakable.  This one would have been nicer had the tide been in, but it was as out as it could be, although I think it had started coming in by the time we left. 

Then it was time to set off again and once we got past Saintes we decided to remove the Satnav's prohibition on toll roads and came down the motorway the rest of the way to Cubnezais, which we are visiting because there is a parkrun here tomorrow morning.  The Swan Whisperer has walked the course (it is 3 and a bit laps, but he only did one lap) and soon I shall get supper.  

To Saleilles, 7 October 2021

Somehow I haven't done very much today.  Our friend J came round for coffee; it was lovely to see her and catch up on her news.  

After that it was time to move on.  Our first port of call was an E Leclerc - I was not very impressed, as I queued for ages at customer service to enquire about using their scan'n'shop devices, only to be told they were no longer in use.  Then it was totally not obvious where, or even whether, you should weigh your loose produce before taking it to the checkout - fortunately a very kind woman took my apples and figs and weighed them for me.  Someone else said you had to know where they were as it was not at all obvious, which made me feel better!

The Swan Whisperer said we should go to Fontévraut for lunch, as it wasn't very far out of our way.  I didn't feel like going up to the chateau so he went by himself, and then we drove on to this place.  He said it was a long old drive - I had a nap - but that is his fault for wanting to go cross-country rather than on the motorway (I do agree, it is nicer!).  

"Here" is a little village called Damvix,  which I thought was such a lovely name.  We are in a Camping-car Park aire; I joined the network a while ago and this was the first time I had used the card. 

You preload it with some money (you can refill online or at the sites) and then scan it at the entrance and exit to the aire.  Full services and electricity provided, but no sanitary block. Also Wi-Fi, but it is very slow and I can't stream my YouTube videos.  Cheaper than a conventional camp site, but not as many facilities.  This holiday is a mix of free Aires, France Passion, campsites and these places. 

To Saleilles, 6 October

Tonight we are staying in the exact same place we stayed 6 year ago tonight, on our very first motorhome tour. 

However.  The day started well with a run (for the Swan Whisperer) and a walk (for me) around the lakes where we had parked up. 

But after that it all went a bit pear-shaped.  First of all our friend messaged us to cancel, although we have arranged to have coffee with her tomorrow, so that will be all right.  But I haven't cooked for anybody for so long.... 

Then we had trouble finding a supermarket where we could actually take the van - they all seemed to have !height barriers.  Eventually we found a Lidl and two cars were just leaving as we arrived, so that was all right except I didn't work out how to use my Lidl Plus card in French until too late!  Plus their coupons are a bit pants this week!  

Then we headed on towards somewhere the Swan Whisperer wanted to visit and on the way found an E Leclerc which had  open parking and also a petrol station - we wanted diesel, and I could have done my shopping there!  Ah well, Lidl in France is a bit different to the English version (although very similar in many ways), and there will be other days. 

I don't know what the Swan Whisperer was thinking when he chose this particular aire to stop for a cup of tea, but it was nothing special (although it did have working services which we used) and meant we ended up driving through Angers in the rush hour.  But we got here at the same time as another English couple, and shared a wine tasting, which was very good, but we were in urgent need of blotting-paper by the time it was over.  We bought some nice wine  2 of white, 2 plain rosé and two sparkling rosé.  

It was too late to cook the chicken casserole I had planned, so we had an omelette with onion, tomato, mushroom and cheese, and very good it was, too. And they are also a greengrocer, and had a lovely display of autumn squash!

To Saleilles, 5 October

After breakfast this morning, we  walked into Villedieu-les-Poêles, which was not far - the town is not large, and the campsite is just on the edge of it.  It is a good job I did book us into the camp, as the municipal aire is closed while they renovate the car park in which it is sited.  

Our first port of call was the regular Tuesday street market, which was nice but not very big.  I bought some fresh tagliatelle, which we have just had for supper with a jar of sauce - yummy.  Anyway, that was all we bought at that stage, as what I really wanted to visit, and the main reason we came back here, was the bell foundry.  

They were kind and put on an English-speaking guide for us, although she had a strong accent and was not always easy to follow.  But she showed us how they cast the bells, using the lost wax technique.  And how they pour the molten bronze - I forget the exact ratio of copper to tin, but she did tell us  - into the mould in a huge pit.  Some of the bells were huge, nearly as big as the Swan Whisperer.  

We looked round the gift shop afterwards, which not only sold tiny bells (not that you need them these days; you just text your children to call them to a meal) but also some of the copper pots and pans made at another factory in the town.  Eye-watering expensive!

We came back via the local wool shop as I'd neglected to pack any contrast yarn to hold the stitches of the sweater I'm making for Boy 2, and a boulangerie where I bought half a baguette for lunch. 

It was then time to move on, so we drove to a Super U where I did a small shopping, including the aforementioned pasta sauce, and we ate in the supermarket car park.  The Swan Whisperer wanted to go and at least look at St Michael's Mount, which was not too far out of our way, but I slept most of the way, and when we got there, the car park was horrendously expensive if you weren't going to make an afternoon of it. 

So we came away and drove down here to Cesson-Sevigné, a suburb of Rennes, where we have been twice before.  Its USP is some lovely lakes to walk or run round - I plan to walk round in the morning, before we head on. 

To Saleilles, 4 October

The farm we stayed at is a traditional Normandy farm. They have a dairy herd of about 100 head of Normande cows. I am not sure of these are considered a rare breed or not. They rear their own heifer calves; the bull calves are sold at 2 weeks old to be reared for beef elsewhere. 

The farm retains the traditional Normandy layoit with the buildings widely separated around a large square. Most of them date back to the early 19th century. One, built of flint in a way which reminded me vividly of Sussex (which, after all, is not so very far away as the crow flies) contained an old bresd oven. I should have asked if it was still in use, because I believe it is used on special occasions.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable farm tour, and after it we got everything tidied away, used the services and drove down to Villedieu-les-Poêles-Rouffigny, where wr are in a campsite. I hope he foundry museum, which was closed last time we were here because Monday, will be open. 

To Saleilles, 3 October 2021

I slept badly because it was really stormy all night which can be quite fun, but can also be scary when the van rocks and rocks.  This morning, the wind had dropped, although it has continued to rain on and off all day.  

We started slowly, our body clocks not yet being on French time.  Our first port of call was Auchan where I did a shopping, but the Swan Whisperer was hassled by asylum seekers trying to get in and had to lock himself in.  

Next stop was the Baie de Somme, where we had lunch; after which I was incredibly sleepy and slept on and off for the next two hours while we drove down to Normandy.  We had been going to park up by the Seine, but the aire - a car-park, really - was full and rather noisy, as just beside the road.  We found somewhere to pull in while we had a cup of tea and a rethink, and discovered this lovely farm site.  It's not France Passion, so not free, but not expensive either, and does have electricity and services.  And very quiet, except for cows mooing.  

Or money was taken by a teenage boy, a little older than our grandson, but typically monosyllabic and resentful at being dragged away from his iPad to answer the door to a couple of elderly tourists!  Never mind, although we would love a farm tour if it is possible.  He wasn't going to escort us!

The Swan Whisperer has gone for a walk, and soon I am going to get supper.  Meanwhile I am sitting here with the door open airing out the van!

To Saleilles, 2 October 2021

I have to admit that we have had better starts to our holidays!  We wet down to get the motorhome on Friday and brought it back to London, something we don't normally do these days, but we were going straight on from a Church training event.  Just as well, really, because the Swan Whisperer discovered that the leisure batteries were totally dead and not holding a charge at all. So we went to Halfords and arranged to get it fitted there.  So the fitter put it in - and still nothing happened!  He had the sense to consult a colleague, who took one look and said that he had just removed the car battery, not the leisure battery!  

We eventually found where the leisure batteries lived and exchanged them for new ones, and the fitter found a loose connection, which eventually wants soldered, but he crimped it together as best he could.  This may have been what caused the problem. 

So we went, rather late, to the Circuit training day, which was good, but not as good as sometimes as it was in our ha Church so less sociable than at the convent place in Bellingham that we usually go to. The day finished at 15:00 and we set off to Folkestone. 

With all the alarms and excursions about ham sandwiches being confiscated, we took a minimal amount of perishable food with us and gave all our vegetables to my mother and sister.  In fact, the only thing that was different was that they stamped our passports - and barely glanced at our sworn statements which I goodly handed over with them.  

We got a Shuttle an hour earlier than booked, which turned out to be Just As Well, as half-way across we discovered that the main crate, with all the dried food, etc, had been left behind!  And I had left it in an obvious place, too!  

We had always been going to go straight to Carrefour to buy eggs and butter and so on, but I made the Swan Whisperer come too to pay for the rice, risotto rice, quinoa, couscous, tinned tomatoes, tinned sweetcorn, squash, soya sauce, etc that he had left behind!  As well as the butter, eggs, etc, that I had been going to buy anyway.  Then we drove up to Sangatte and parked up for a very wet and stormy night!  The holiday can only improve from  here on in!

The Northern Line Extension

Well, we had to, didn't we?  After all, it's not every day a new Tube extension is opened.  I decided not to try to get the very first train along the new branch, as that would have meant somehow getting to Battersea Power Station for 5:30 am and I wasn't too sure how I could do that.  But as I was going to Walthamstow anyway for grandmother duty, I thought right, I could explore on the way home.

The Swan Whisperer decided to come with me, and so we went off together to pick Boy 2 up from school and encourage him to practice the piano and get changed into football kit ready for training later.  The Boy, meanwhile, is now at secondary school and stayed late to try out for the football team, which he was - and we were all - delighted he was selected for!  So we are very proud grandparents, as well as nerdish!

And then it was time to go home, and the Daughter dropped us off near the Tube station, and we went normally as far as Warren Street, where we changed for the southbound Northern Line.  When we got there, this was the signage for the next few trains:

But, as you see, a train pulled in just then, and I realised it couldn't be the Kennington one and, sure enough, it was going to Battersea Power Station, so we got on.  

I don't often seem to go down the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line, for some reason, but it was fairly familiar, until we got to Kennington.  There may be trouble ahead but today everything went smoothly.  I don't know how many people were going just to say they had, as we were, but the train was still quite full when it arrived at Nine Elms.  There is an island platform there, but if you are thinking of Clapham North and Clapham Common, don't.  It's about the same size as Canary Wharf, and looks very like it, only no platform edge doors.

We didn't get out, although we were tempted, but carried on until we got to Battersea Power Station; again, huge wide island platforms, then a short-ish escalator leading up to a mezzanine floor where tickets could be bought, I think there may be a public toilet (but wouldn't swear to it), etc.  Then a longer escalator to the surface -  and a fairly amazing view of the new station with the eponymous power station in the background.  

And only a short walk to the terminus of the P5 bus, which took us home nicely in time for the supper that was waiting for us in the slow cooker!

Bank Holiday Excursion

 Last week, we had noticed the 452 bus that went, we discovered, from Vauxhall to Kensal Rise, and we agreed that on our next Expotition we would take it and see where it went.  Well, to Kensal Rise, obvs, but where was Kensal Rise and how did the bus get there?

We started off by getting a P5 into Brixton and then a 2 up to Vauxhall - I had thought we might take the Tube, but a bus was coming.  It is a very grey and dull day, but not raining.

At Vauxhall bus station there wasn't long to wait for a 452. 

At first, it followed the route of the 196 from Vauxhall, down past Nine Elms Sainsbury's and the new Tube Station, Springfield Church, and so on, but where the 196 turns left, it goes straight on, past Wandsworth Road station, and so to Cedars Road, where it turns right, and follows the route of the 137 across Chelsea Bridge, up Sloane Street (I was surprised to see cafés in the middle of Sloane Square) and into Knightsbridge (incredibly slow, as always). 

Then it turns up Kensington Gore, and goes past the Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial,

and so on to Kensington High Street, turning right up Kensington Church Street, passing Notting Hill Gate and then Ladbroke Grove.  Just before the Regents Canal and the Westway it did a quick dive into a big Sainsbury's - how useful of it - and then came back on to the main road, and so up to Kensal Rise Station.

We got off the bus and went to look for a cup of tea.  In fact, most of the cafés, we discovered too late, too late, were on the other side of the road, and had we crossed, we would have had a wide choice.  As it was, we found a Gail's Bakery with benches outside, which was nice (we had jackets today!).  The Swan Whisperer had a cup of coffee and a granola bar, and I had a cup of Earl Grey - I don't know what the brand was, but it was delicious.  I would have liked something to eat, but decided it would spoil my supper if I did, so resisted temptation. 

After we had finished our drinks, we saw there was a southbound 452 coming, so we caught it and stayed on it as far as Sloane Square, where we got off and walked across the square to see how it had changed.  Peter Jones is covered in scaffolding and looked almost derelict, but I think it was open.  At the other end, the Royal Court Theatre is still there.  I took a picture of the cafés.  

And then we caught a 137 all the way home!  I had been farsighted, for once, and made a pork and bean casserole, which I put into the slow cooker section of the Instant Pot.  Unfortunately, I think I should have cooked it on high rather than medium, as the potatoes and carrots are still crunchy, but nothing that 5 minutes or so in the pressure cooker function won't cure. 

Reconnaissance

 Next month, apparently on 19 September, the new branch of the Northern Line opens to Battersea Power Station station.  Now, it so happens that I'm preaching that day in a church not far from the new Nine Elms station (which is next door to the enormous Sainsbury's at Nine Elms).  So obviously, the thing to do will be to get a bus to Battersea Power Station station and get a tube up to Nine Elms (and, if necessary, a bus back one stop to the church), and then after the service we'll go up to Nine Elms again (perhaps having a coffee in Sainsbury's while we are there) and then on the Tube again one stop - a very long stop, apparently, the longest in Zone 1 after the Drain - to Kennington, and then change and come back to Clapham North.  Well, we shall see.

But although we knew where Nine Elms station is going to be, I had no real idea where the Battersea Power Station station will be.  However, the Swan Whisperer said he'd often gone past the site on his runs, so today we decided to go and explore.

We had been going to get a 137 up to Battersea Park and take it from there, but just missed one, and there wasn't another one signalled, so we thought we would cross the road and get a P5 to the end of its route, which turned out to be just opposite the new station. 

I was rather amused by the legend "Thessaly Road Bridge" on what was patently a railway bridge,

but we agreed it must be the bridge across Thessaly Road!  Anyway, I had half expected to walk straight to the 137 stop, which is a bit further away, but we decided to explore a bit.  The Swan Whisperer says that every time he comes, the roads he can use are slightly different, as the whole place is a vast building site, with huge blocks of flats springing up here, there and everywhere, including in the former power station.  I know the American Embassy is somewhere round there, but not sure where.

Anyway, the place was very obviously turning into a "district" with shops and bars and restaurants all over the place, and a lovely terrace by the river.

  We might have eaten out, but it was a bit early, and neither of us had jackets (we did have macs, but no other coats or jerseys) and we thought we might get cold sitting out - and I, for one, am not prepared to sit indoors in a crowded restaurant yet.  

So we walked under Grosvenor Bridge, and then there was a lift up to street level - we made rather fools of ourselves as we kept pressing the wrong button and staying put rather than going up, but we got there in the end.  And then it said the bus would be in 7 minutes, but actually, it came at once.  We stopped at the nicer vegan café when we got off the bus, and thought of eating there, but the same objections applied as by the river, so came home and have had beer and now the SW is cooking sausages and mash.  More photos on Facebook.

June Holiday, 24 June

The last full day of our holiday.  This morning we walked round the Elsecar centre.  I wouldn't say I was overwhelmed by it, but I wasn't underwhelmed, either.  Can one say one was whelmed?  Anyway, most of the buildings are turned over to the sort of shops you would expect that sort of place to have  - craft shops (one was lovely, I nearly bought some wool there!), bespoke furniture makers, vegan body products etc.  I did buy some shower gel I had been wanting.  

However, apart from the shops there were a great many plaques telling you the history of the site, the FitzWilliam family who owned the site and the ironworks and so on.

That bit was interesting.  The heritage railway would have been lovely had it been working.... 

But this holiday is nearly over, and we had to head south.  I wanted to stop about half way between Elsecar and No 6, but this campsite is slightly more than that.  We stopped at a local Morrison's for diesel and shopping, and at Rutland Water for lunch, very pretty (and a very nice lunch from Morrison's), and then drove here.  They are building a viaduct for HS2 so we are diverted and although the diversion was easy to follow, the machine got absolutely covered in mud from the works - it has been raining slightly, not hard, on and off all day!  The camp site is like all of them; most are very nice except the one in Berwick, and even that wasn't bad. 

But what I do hate in this country is having to go on motorways most of the time.  In France or Germany there is nearly always an alternative route, and you can tell the Satnav that we're not using motorways today, thank you, but here there isn't really an alternative.  And who knows when we will be able to travel to France or Germany again? 

June holiday, 23 June

I haven't done much today except a quick shop in Lidl. We went there first and then drove to Harrogate, which is very pretty, and then on round Leeds until we got here, which is Elsecar (I keep thinking of Elsie Carr from the "Katy" books). Sadly, the heritage railway is still closed and the actual heritage centre seems to be artisanal shops, rather like Merton Abbey Mills. The Swan Whisperer, who had a quick look, says they are ok, but.... Anyway, I'll have a look in the morning.

Meanwhile, here is tonight's view from my bed. 

June Holiday, 22 June

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, and said it was really lovely.  I'll take his word for it!  I used the sanitary block for my shower, although they do say to use your own facilities if you can.  Then after a leisurely breakfast, we drove over to the Park and Ride - which isn't actually very far, but across a quite dangerous roundabout - and caught the bus into Durham.  

After looking round the market for a bit, caught the shuttle bus up the hill to the Cathedral, and spent a very happy hour wandering around there and taking photos. 

At 12:30 they had Holy Communion, so we attended that, and then went into the Cloisters.  Unfortunately, the café was there, and the Swan Whisperer suggested we had lunch.  Big mistake - not the food, nothing wrong with that, but trying to make them understand that what we wanted was one soup and sandwich combo, plus soft drink, and one jacket potato with cheese, plus a slice of cake and a coffee - you would have thought nobody had ever ordered anything from them before!  Hopeless!  But the food was very good, actually. 

Before we moved on, I visited the Ladies, and was amused that they said no more than two people at a time - how on earth could they tell, when you couldn't even see the cubicles from the entrance, never mind whether they were occupied or not!

So, anyway, we moved on and would have liked to have visited the Castle and/or the Heritage centre, but everything was closed until July, so we couldn't. 

We went back down the hill, and I visited the local Tesco, and then we found where the P&R bus went from - which wasn't where we had thought, but never mind - and one eventually came. 

When we got back to the car park, the SW suggested that before we went back to the campsite, we had a cup of tea and then headed off to see the Angel of the North, and that is exactly what we did!  It was amazing - far more impressive than you would think if you'd only seen photos.  

And so back to the camp site and we sat out for  bit until I got too hot and came indoors.  The SW is still sitting out, and I expect will do so until supper is ready.  

There are more photos on Facebook, by the way. 

June Holiday, 21 June

We were not sorry to shake the dust of the campsite off our wheels this morning, although the trains hadn't been as noisy as we had feared. 

First port of all was a Tesco, where I did some shopping, including some peaches and nectarines which were £1.29 a punnet if you didn't have a club card, and only 49p if you did.  Rude not to, really!

We nipped into Scotland, slightly as a protest about people from Manchester not being allowed ("How would they know?" asked the Swan Whisperer, and, indeed, nobody tried to stop us).  We went past Coldstream and Kelso to Jedburgh, where the SW had a peep at the Abbey. 

We decided to go and have a look at Hadrian's Wall, and stopped off at a few places.  The trouble is, I was - and am - very tired today, so didn't feel able to walk much, and all the sites were a long way from the car park except the first, which charged £9.00 to go in and so difficult to know whether it was all open or only part of it.  So we didn't go in, but we did see quite a lot of the Wall just driving along, and here is a rather distant view of Housesteads. 

We then drove on south a bit to this campsite outside Durham, which we shall visit tomorrow.  The Swan Whisperer has gone for a walk and to explore public transport options - there is a P&R not far away but it is yet to be determined whether one can walk there.  The SW has just come back and says not, so we will take the van over. 

We have had very beautiful scenery today;  I always say nowhere is as beautiful as Sussex, but Northumbria and the Borders run it pretty close!

June Holiday, 20 June

Today is Sunday.  We were always planning to go to Lindisfarne today, but the tides were such that the causeway was not available until this afternoon.  So we thought we would go to church, if we could find one in the area, and a bit of googling led us to Ford parish church, about six miles from where we had spent the night. 

Of course, the first order of the day was breakfast in the café, and very good it was too! 

Only the Swan Whisperer ordered a latte instead of a flat white and said it was too milky, even for him.  

We found the church in good time and there was plenty of parking, which was great.  Service was, as it almost  always is in Anglican churches, a Communion, very odd to have it without the Cup, but in these Covid days.... And it's not as if this is totally unknown - Catholics always seem to do it that way. 

Anyway, after church we still had a couple of hours to fill so we drove down the Northumbrian coast road as far as Seahouses, passing Bamburgh Castle

en route.  We parked up there and had lunch, and then drove back to Lindisfarne. 

It really is a pretty little town; because of its peculiar situation, there aren't the commuter houses you get round most other villages.  Most people who live there are involved in tourism or farming.  

We went to the Heritage Centre and saw some good films about the local wildlife, and a documentary about the Viking raids.   There were some lovely pictures of the Lindisfarne  Gospels, too, but sadly the interactive displays were closed due to you-know-what. 

We then walked down to the Priory, but I think you had to have booked, or there were too many people, or something.  But if you went into the churchyard it was free, and you could see most of what there was to be seen, so we did that.  And there were splendid views over Lindisfarne Castle and so on. 

And, although I didn't take a photo, the statue of St Aidan which had featured prominently in a recent sermon at Brixton Hill!

We then drove on to the camp site, but it really isn't very nice.  The first pitch they gave us was so sloping that, even on the ramps, I couldn't have cooked. So we asked if we could possibly have another one, which was okay, but the electricity here doesn't work.  We have found a socket that does work  - and anyway, we don't really need it, having done quite happily without the last two nights, but still, we are paying for it.  But the worst is that the site is very near the East Coast main line, and trains go roaring past every few minutes.  Oh well, it's the first site I haven't liked.  And we have champagne, so..... 

June Holiday, 19 June

What a difference a day makes! Woke up to bright sunshine and blue seas, so different from yesterday's clouds and rain!

Today has been pretty much a rest day as far as I'm concerned - the Swan Whisperer went for two walks, of course (and saw the Tornado, lucky him!). We spent a quiet morning by the sea, reading and listening to the radio, then went to a nearby Morrison's to stock up on groceries before driving north again. If we had been thinking clearly, we might have taken the Northumbrian coast road, but we weren't. I had been worrying about tonight as I could not get any confirmation that the cafe that was alleged to welcome motor homes was still open, but it is, and we have been made very welcome. We are nearly as near to Lindisfarne as we can get and will go there tomorrow. 

June Holiday, 18 June.

My bluetooth keyboard has run out of charge, so there may be typos or autocorrects in this post that I haven't noticed!

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning. He thinks - but wouldn't swear to it - that he saw the current Archbishop doing the same thing.  Anyway, after breakfast we set off and drive to Rawcliffe Bar Park and Ride and got the bus into York, where we spent a very happy morning wandering around the Old Town.

You had to have booked to go into the Minster and it is £12 a head, so we didn't, but went into St Michael-le-Belfry next door, instead. We thought about visiting the chocolate museum just by where we stopped for coffee, but again it was £12 and we had no idea whether it would have been worth it or not. One place we would have liked to have visited was the Jorvik centre, but they had nothing free until mid-afternoon and when we went hopefully past to see if there had been a cancellation, the queues were very long, so obviously not.

So we had an earlyish lunch of crepes in the Shambles market, and then wandered back to the bus stop, buying an ice-cream en route.

As we were not planning on a long drive today and it was early, we decided to go via Scarborough, quite a long way out of the way, but it was really very splendid, especially as it was pouring with rain! An English seaside resort at its best!

The SW made himself a coffee to keep himself awake, he said. I cannot help but wonder why it keeps him awake mid-afternoon, but not when he drinks it after supper!

Anyway, be that as it may, we had a lovely drive over the Yorkshire moors, dank and misty, but were disappointed to have bypassed Whitby. Eventually we arrived here, at Seaham, where we are parked up, along with several other motor homes, in a huge car park above the North Sea. The SW has gone on a hunt for fish and chips.