So the plan was to visit the Tan Hill Pub on the Pennine’s, then move on to Southport before heading to Liverpool to watch the Champions League Final at the Marks & Spencer’d Arena.
The Tan Hill
We decided to go to Tan Hill on a Thursday as we figured as it is very popular for campers & motor homes a Friday would be much busier! When we have arrived it looked more like a supermarket car park in terms of the amount of vehicles parked up! It turns out it was only the Swaledale Sheep Show on this day so the place was bouncing with farmers! Luckily we managed to get parked up so after a cuppa & a quick bite to eat in the Van we went for a walk on the Pennine Way. On our return we went straight into the Pub, it was absolutely rammed, but luckily we managed to get a seat. It was great having a few beers, a nice meal & a chat to many of the farmers enjoying the show!
The Tan Hill is lovely a proper pub & they have done an amazing job encouraging campers to stay by installing outside toilets & lovely showers, we would definitely go back!
We woke up on the Friday, quickly got showers had a cuppa & hit the road to Southport! It was about a 1hr 50 drive, when we left Tan Hill the weather was bleak by the time we got to Southport it was blue skies, warm & sunny 🙂 We had never ever been to Southport so it was a nice stopover to explore a new place before heading to Liverpool on the Saturday. Using the AP searchforsites once more we found you could camp on a secure carpark near the pleasure beach a stones through to the sea front.
Tonight’s camping spot!
We had a lovely walk around Southport followed by calling into Weatherspoons for a few drinks & some food!
We decided to get up early & continue the short drive into Liverpool as we anticipated Liverpool would be busy with the Champions League Final on top of other vents going on in the City. Using my favourite AP we discovered you could park over night on Albert Dock for £15 for 24hrs, this had the advantage it was 5 mins walk to where we had tickets to watch the Champions League Final.
We got ourselves set up usual drill then took Scamp for a walk along Albert Dock, there was a big food festival on so ther wa slots going on & very busy.
Scamp does Liverpool
After our lovely walk along the Dock we settled Scamp & headed into the City Centre, even though it was only lunch time the City Centre was awash red. We decided Weatherspoons was going to be the place to start & wow the atmosphere fantastic fans singing away .
Liverpool City Centre
After 2 or 3 drinks we decided to head towards Mathew Street, by this time there was a sea if red fans in shirts, flags flying & scarves with famous LFC anthems been chanted everywhere! Mathew street was bouncing queues at every bar & a mixture of live music and fans singing all around. We decided to call into the famous Cavern Club bar, it took what seemed an age to get in but worth it as this bar has a special aura about it.
After a few drinks we went back onto Matthew street, omg you could not move all bars had huge queues, we noticed that people/fans were just stood in the streets with carry outs, so we thought we will do that, thank you Home Bargains #classy 🙂 Once back on Mathew street we just soaking up the amazing atmosphere
We also had the pleasure of meeting the Benidorm actress Michelle Butterly soaking up the atmosphere in Mathew Street, she was very friendly & kindly posed for a pic with us 🙂
We headed back to the van to check on & see to Scamp also to have some food prior to heading to the Arena, what a day so far I was just hoping we would get the correct result on the night 🙂
This was to be out biggest road trip to date, & the most consecutive nights spent in the Van. The trip was to start from home to Glencoe, Fort William , Mallaig, Skye , Isle of Harris & Lewis, Ullapool to the Cairngorms then back home.
Our aim was to ‘Wild Camp’ as much a possible..We decided to set off on the Friday evening after work. A quick shower, a bite to eat, Van packed & we were on our way. The aim was originally to get to Fort William so we could do the Park Run near the Nevis Range on the Sat Morning. With various delays including road closures we decided to get to Glencoe Ski Resort and continue our journey the next morning. Using the brilliant AP ‘Searchforsites’ we found we could park in the car park’s at the Ski Resort Centre. It was 11.45 pm when pulled in, we quickly set van up and opened the bottle of gin , well we were on holiday! We decided against trying to get to Park Run which started st 9.30, probably a good thing as I had been struggling with injuries. After a quick Google I discovered a GPX for a 10k race which had been ran just so happened the start was just behind the van so we opted to do this Sat morning.We woke up with the van feel quite warm, on opening the side door it was clear why sun blazing & blue skies with not a cloud on the sky !
After breakfast we hot our running kit on and set off on our 10k run, from the start it was up up up folding the path beneath the ski lift, once at the top doing a loop which joined us back onto the West Highland Way & then back to the Van.
After getting back to the Van we set off for Mallaig, via a quick pit stop at the Fort William Home Bargain’s to pick up some supplies. I decided to get to Skye via the ferry crossing as it was only £16 for the Van & 2 adults which was just as cheap & less driving plus I’d never ever been there. We arrived in good time for the ferry crossing giving us time for a walk around. We were right at the front so we were first on & importantly going to be 1st off the Ferry when debarking in Skye.
Ferry to Skye – in Pole Position
Once we debarked from the ferry it was off to our 1st stopover which was to be at the Sligachan Campsite . We wanted to Wild Camp as much as possible but we had decided we wanted to eat at the pub across the road so it made sense to stay there, it was also cheap!
Sligachan Campsite
As mentioned we went over to the pub opposite the campsite, it’s in a beadutiful setting & was really nice inside however have to say I was very disappointed with the food, never mind.
Sligachan Pub
After our meal we decided to take a walk as it was a lovely sunny evening and you could see it was going to be a lovely sunset.
On the Sunday we woke up to the most horrendous weather, horizontal rain, windy. We braved it & had a walk out into the hills, on our return looking at the the Voltage on the leisure battery & the fact the clouds were so low my solar was not doing much we decided to stay another night at Sligachan but also getting a Hookup to get the battery fully charged, also been so cold and damp we could have a hot shower and have the van heating on!On Monday the weather was better but still not nice enough to visit the Fairy Pools so we drove to Portree, had a look around then headed to Quirang stopping off at the Old Man of Storr for some lunch !
Old Man of Storr behind the Van
Leaving Storr we made a couple of pit stops on the way to our next stopover which was Quiraing visiting Mealt Falls & Kilt Rock .
Kilt Falls
On arrival at Quiraing which is in the North East of Skye, it was busy as expected so we just parked up rather than finding a spot to camp. We decided to go for a walk 1st on the land opposite Quiraing which gave us some stunning views looking towards Quiraing.
Quiraing
After walking 4 or 5 miles it was time to run around Quiraing and omg what amazing trails so mystical. For Transformers fans this is where parts of the Last Knight was filmed. We ran around 6 miles before arriving back at the van This had to be one of my favourite trail runs ever !
On returning to the Van most of the cars had now left as it was windy we decided to drive back down the hill parking up in one of the old quarries. We quickly got setup (popped roof, awning out, windows sealed up) then lit the fire pit to cook our tea! Even though the weather was not great it was lovely sat outside the van in front of the roaring Fire Pit!
Road back down to out camping spot
The following morning it was an early start as we had to get to Uig by 8.15 am to get the ferry to the Isle of Harris. It was a lovely drive round the top end of Skye the North West, traffic was horrendous at times (see below) nether the less we arrived in good time ready to board the ferry.
Rush Hour on Skye
Ferry Crossing to the Isle of Harris
On arriving on Harris we decided to go straight to the Harris Gin Distillery to purchase some Harris Gin, also picking up some supplies from a local shop.
We then hit the road and headed towards Luskentyre, it’s a lovely road through rugged terrain, different again to Skye. We stopped off for some food & a walk before heading to uskentyre Beach where we had planned to camp.
On arriving it was the usual drill to get setup followed by a walk on the most stunning beach in the UK.
Luskintyre BeachLuskintyre Beach
As it was a lovely evening we decided ot would be lovely to have dinner on the beach i.e. BBQ using our firepit.
BBQ Time What a venue to eat!
The next morning we decided to run (surprise surprise) before moving on to Hussain Beach. After breakfast we set off, we decided to run up a very big hill which the top was covered in cloud, before heading back down & running back along Luskintyre Beach. Coming back along the beach I couid not stop smiling, I have said it before I’ll say it again this beach is breathtakingly stunning! We ran about 5 miles but before moving away from the sea I had to take a dip !
After drying off & having a cuppa we packed up and headed back to Tarbert before heading to find Huisinis Beach.
We headed back to Tarbert before heading north on the main road before turning left onto a lovely challenging B road which was fill of hair pin bends climbs & descents. About 10 miles along the road you pass through a set of gates & suddenly you find yourself in the Front Garden of Amhuinnsuidhe Castle, I was convinced Google was sending us the wrong way!
Amhuinnsuidhe Castle
On approaching it was another wow moment, the beach looked stunning. We parked up & had some lunch & a cuppa before going for a walk.
I have to say I am impressed with the North Harris Trust how they have catered for Motorhomes/Campers there is a lovely large cabin where you can go & eat (not cook), lovely hot showers (£1), toilets, waste disposal & electric hookup option. We would of liked to stay but we did not have time unfortunately , but we will definitely be back!
Huisinis Camping
Huisinis Beach
Scamp enjoying Huisinis Beach
After our visit to Huisini we made our way back to the main spine road so we could head to Stornoway. We were quite shocked at the difference between Harris & Lewis, where as Harris was rugged Lewis was quite flat and bland. Using my searchforsites ap once again we decided to head past Stornoway as we wanted to visit the Butt of Lewis. We decided to stay at Port Ness Harbour
Port Ness Harbour
Port Ness Beach
After chatting to a lovely couple with a Motor Home we had super followed by a Gin or 3. The next morning it was woeful weather wise absolutely chucking it down, so rather than walk to the Butt of Lewis we drove there anyway I needed the Van there to take the obligatory photo!
Butt of Lewis
Butt of Lewis
After another photo shoot we headed to Stornaway, as the weather was grim we had decided to go on a site with Hookup as the solar wasn’t going to be doing a great deal today! I found a site that was only short walk into town, at Laxdale (http://www.laxdaleholidaypark.com/ ) it was reasonably priced & was nice & clean. After the usual drill we had lunch & a cuppa then headed into town. We left Scamp in the Van due to it been so wet ¬ particularly warm.
I am not sure what I was expecting in Stornaway, but it was much smaller than I imagined with not many shops. As we were both wet & cold we decided to find a Cafe ok I actually meant a Pub
The Crown Hotel…. Cheers 🙂
After a few beers & a trip to Tesco for supplies we walked back to the van, had showers, washed & dries some clothes then had tea. We had planed to run but was so so wet & miserable we decided not too, the following morning was as wet so we had a leisurely morning before heading to the Ferry Terminal, next stop Ullapool before heading to Aviemore!
Our week off work was to start with supporting our good friends Brian & Stevo taking on the Hardmoors 110 Race otherwise known as the Cleveland Way which normal folk tend to walk not run it non stop 🙂 We set off for Ravenscar On the Saturday , the aim was to get there around lunch time to meet the boys arriving in Ravenscar which was one of the 1st major Check Points.
The Cleveland Way
During the cause of the day we met the Boys at various checkpoints with Brian’s wife Joanne. Once we met them at Runswick Bay the plan was to take & leave the van at Clay Bank then Joanne would go back to Saltburn Joanne’s car, as I would be running the night section (Saltburn back to Claybank) with them. Sue & Joanne would hrad back to Claybank to get some sleep in the van. Whilst we waited at Saltburn for them we went for Pizza (for support crew & the boys). Martin Greensitt also showed up, which was great to see him, Martin was also going tun run but was unfortunately injured. The boys came into Saltburn at around 8.30 pm, they quickly refuelled with the Pizza, got some hot drinks inside them & quickly got changed into warmer gear then we were off. It was quite a mild night so it was nice to be out, part of this leg we had top run up to the top of Roseberry Topping then straight back down, which was fun.
The lads were doing amazing, we managed to get Clay bank around 6 am which was amazing.
The Summit of Roseberry
Roseberry
Bloworth Crossing
It was fantastic to run with them and the weather was great until around 5.30 am when it started raining heavy. My stint of running was over, but it was time for Sue to step in and support run from Clay Bank to the Whitehorse (Sutton Bank). After breakfast the boys & Sue were back on their way! My plan was to Drive to Osmotherley Square Corner to try & get a few hours sleep! I only managed a couple of hours as I kept looking at their tracker to check on there progress! They arrived at Square Corner way a head of schedule which is brilliant considering the awful weather they had encountered!
The Boys & Sue leaving Square Corner
The weather had finally improved once more thankfully, Sue decided to continue running with the lads. Whilst they all ploughed on we decided to get my Van to Helmsley, Joanne followed me through so she could bring me back to the Whitehorse. The plan was then to drive their car back to the finish so Joanne, Claire & Sue can run the last 9-10 miles with the lads. I headed back to the finish so I could see my mates complete the 110 & when they did they did it in style. I was so proud to see them finish & it was very emotional for all involved 🙂
Brian & Stevo with their support crew
So our work was done, time for some rest we decided to camp over at Helmsley (Helmsley sports and social club) at the finish location, it was a quick shower some food and a celebratory Gin then we crashed out, it had been a very long couple of days. We were off all week and had planned to travel back to the coast but as the weather forecast was not great we decided to stay in land. We had a nice walk around Helmsley Town followed by a nice coffee & teacake, we then headed back to the Van. We decided to head back to Square Corner (Osmotherley) & camp there.
Our latest
adventure which was a 3 day trip to the Highlands of Scotland to race in this year’s
Highland fling, a 53 mile Ultra on the West Highland Way starting at Milngavie
near Glasgow & finishing at Tyndrum.
The Wellie Stop at Tyndrum had kindly allowed us to park the van in their huge car park for the weekend, in all the years of passing the Wellie Stop I had never actually stopped there what a nice place, café, service station, shops, they even have self service laundry machine outside.
We set off at lunch time on the Friday & had nice steady drive there, making one pitstop on the M74 (so nice not having to pay Motorway prices for drinks/snacks ). We had to stop at Milngavie to register as this was to be the start of the race also take a photo of the Famous Fling Van.
Ding Ding
Once registered we carried on with our Trip, getting to Tyndrum in approx. an hour or so, on arrival we parked up and called into the shop to check in, have to say the shop was well stocked & reasonable priced also the toilets were immaculate 😊
Wellie Stop Car Park
As we were up at 3 am we decided to eat early choosing to go to the Tyndrum Inn, after a nice meal & couple of beers as well as watching the 1st half of the Liverpool V Huddersfield game, we went back to the van to get our kit ready for the next day, luckily there was 4G so still managed to listen to the 2nd half too (it finished 5-0, get in 😊). It was now time to sleep Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Local Inn
The Alarms
went off at 3am (Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh), we quickly got up, put our running
kit on & had a cuppa before hearing the bus’s pull up in front of the
Van. It took about an hour & half on
the bus, I tried to sleep unfortunately there was somebody behind jabbering on
non-stop so that was an epic fail.
By the time we got to Milngavie it was getting light & quite a nice morning, soon after departing the bus we bumped into several friends who were also racing. By the time we had a bit crack on, ate my bacon butties and a final coffee it was time to get into the start pens.
Since our
1st trip to Bamburgh in the Van back in November we were desperate
to experience it again with the warmer weather. So with the high temperatures that
was forecasted over the Easter weekend we decided this was the perfect time.
It is
normally and hour & bits drive for us
unfortunately it took 2.5 hrs
this time due to Bank Holiday traffic , we decided to stop at Seahouses for the
compulsory seaside Fish N Chips . Seahouses was absolutely jammed but we were lucky enough to
get parked. We got our Fish N Chips from Lewis’s best in Seahouses I think and took them down
to the harbour to eat followed by a little walk. It was a lovely sunny day but a bit of cold wind coming off the sea, making it cold
when there was no protection.
After our dinner & walk we headed for Bamburgh, the main car parks were still rammed but where we planed to camp there was only a few cars left and a couple of vans who were obviously staying over. We got set up and sat outside a bit as the van was acting as a wind break. We then went for a nice walk along the beach, the cold wind dropped right off so it was very nice walking. When we got back to the van we opened up the bar (Gin & Fruit Cider Yum). We decided to try & sleep in the pop top, bad mistake, it looks spacious until you’re up there, we could not get comfy so we changed rooms & setup the rock n Roll bed.
best Hotel in BamburghRed Moon
We woke up to a lovely sunny day & a beautiful sun rise , I took Scamp for his morning walk on the beach whilst Chef Sue prepared breakfast ! At 7.45 it was warm enough to ware just a t shirt (well with shorts too lol )! On walking back to the Van we could smell the bacon , perfect timing!
You could tell it was going to be a hot day so we decided to go for a run early, I had picked my route to run out of Bamburgh on the St Oswald’s Way to Seahouses, then run back on the beach. It was very warm and lovely been out on the trails & then the beach, by time we got back to van we had ran just over 8 miles .
Once back at the Van the car park we left with one or 2 vans was rammed, loads of families enjoying the sunshine on the beach. It was lovely sat outside the van in the warmth lookng out over the beach/sea heaven 😊 After a couple of teas/coffees I decided to have cold beer (my new solar panel did a very good job of keeping my fridge cold), Sue & before 12pm had a Gin & Cider
Van Life & Adventures 