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Clifftop Walks at Flamborough Head – we spotted a few puffins too :)

We are staying on the clifftop at Flamborough and the views are amazing! We have direct access to the cliffs and the many terraces full of seabirds, including guillemots, razorbills, gannets, shags, herring gulls and puffins.

On evening 1 we went out for a walk, taking our neighbour’s dog, Henry, with us. We ended up walking about 4 miles in the mud (it had been raining for a couple of days before we arrived). To get to the clifftop we have to walk through a field full of sheep belonging to the farm we’re staying on.

Calv with Henry

Crossing the field of sheep

An evening view over the cliffs

I’m not kidding you, I have never heard such noises from sheep! Ranging from normal baa’s to sounds like they’re barking and saying ‘no’ & ‘hear hear’. They’re clearly talking to each other as they’re quiet until people turn up 🙂

The following day we went out for a walk along the cliffs again. This time we turned left and walked about 3 miles to the RSPB centre. Along the cliffs here there are several platforms built for viewing the birds. It was a really nice walk, and even stayed dry for the majority of the time we were out! Calv enjoyed his cream tea at the café 🙂

We did find that, in contrast to everyone that we’ve encountered so far in Yorkshire, most of the serious bird-watchers we saw were actually quite unfriendly. They wouldn’t make eye contact at all, just kept their heads down and walked on past. We were pretty surprised by this. There were, of course, a couple of exceptions – like the guy we met on the clifftop on the 1st night who pointed out the puffins and lent us his scope to look through (I pretended I could see something, but I’m useless at looking through binoculars – and now I know, scopes as well!)

We did see puffins! They were at a distance in the crevices in the cliffs – but we could see them 🙂

Bempton Cliffs

By the Puffin statue on Bempton Cliffs

We were trying to avoid using the car for a couple of days and so the next day, Saturday, we went out for another walk. This time we were aiming for the lighthouse that we can clearly see from the campsite. The owner told us that it’s a 4.8 mile walk along the clifftop.

So we headed the other way via Flamborough itself and along Lighthouse Road. It took forever – we never seemed to be getting any closer to the lighthouse! Along the way we passed the original lighthouse, which is now sited on the golf course and we couldn’t access it. There’s doubts about whether the flame was ever lit at the top, partly because passing ships refused to pay the toll to help pay for it.

20170729_132110 — The original Lighthouse Tower at Flamborough

We eventually made it to the new lighthouse on the head. There is a very nice café here, The Headland, an ice cream kiosk and public toilets. The lighthouse is still operational, but is fully automated. We took the tour, £4.40 per adult, which allowed us to go to the top and see the views from there.

Looking up at Flamborough Lighthouse

View from the top of Flamborough Lighthouse

We went down to the beach, all the way down! There were people in the water, clambering over the rocks and kayaking from the beach.

From here we took the cliff path, which afforded us some spectacular views on our walk back to the campsite.

On the way we found North Landing where we stopped for a drink in the bar at the Haven centre. On the beach there were tractors ready to pull the boats that were out on pleasure trips back out of the water, people kayaking; on the steep slipway up from the beach was a lifeboat house which you can visit as well as a boathouse. It was really busy here as well!

Pleasure boat at North Landing

The Boathouse Cafe and Old Lifeboat Station at North Landing

A little further along the cliff was Thornwick Bay, where there is a café and limited access to the beach.

You have to be careful on these beaches as it would be really easy to get cut off as the tide comes in – from the safety of the clifftop we did see a number of people scrambling back around the base of the cliffs to beat the incoming water. It concerned us a little, but they seemed to know what they were doing…

So we’d had 3 days of lots of walking and lots of fresh air! Very enjoyable, but now our feet were hurting.

Therefore the car came back into use on Sunday with a dribble along the coast as far as Withernsea – read about in my next post 🙂

A long walk in Lincolnshire. Discovering Louth & Woodhall Spa

We knew that there was a large reservoir, Covenham Reservoir, close by so decided to walk on Saturday to find it. We took the canal path from about 200m away from the campsite, past the old mill – the possibilities of what could be done with that place!

We quickly came across several cows grazing alongside the canal and then went through a gate to a section where cows clearly hadn’t been grazing for some time (they were on the other side of the canal here), which made for a lot of concentration; making sure that we didn’t step in cow pats, brush past nettles and thistles or fall off the bank!

We stumbled across the correct route completely by accident; coming to a narrow bridge across the river and finding a public bridleway crossing diagonally across the fields. From here we found a farmyard equipment graveyard lining the track down past a farm.

Again, completely by chance, we looked right at the right spot to see steps leading up the side of the reservoir and a stile to a footpath across the field. It was quite a steep climb and at the top we sat on the wall overlooking the water (quite a feat for me trying to get up onto the wall with my short legs and lack of agility these days!) and ate our lunch, before walking all the way around the reservoir.

We were surprised at how quiet it was on a sunny Saturday in the school holidays, but guess it was due to it being the 1st weekend of the holidays with people perhaps disappearing away on holiday. We chatted to a lad who was there with his jetski who told us it’s normally really busy. He and his mate had the water to themselves! Continue reading “A long walk in Lincolnshire. Discovering Louth & Woodhall Spa”

The Beautiful beaches of Lincolnshire – Cleethorpes to Anderby Creek

After leaving Fulbeck we found a wonderful little site in Austen Fen (which can only be described as a small settlement) near Louth. Actually we were told about it by a fellow camper in Fulbeck. And it was just perfect!

We stayed for 8 nights and only had company for 3 of those nights! There was even a resident Barn Owl that Calv was privileged to see twice – although he wasn’t able to get any photos unfortunately. I’m sure I heard it on the roof dragging it’s prey one night in the early hours!

On our 1st day here we popped up the coast to visit Cleethorpes. We were pleasantly surprised, it wasn’t what we were expecting at all! Sure it was a little old fashioned and tired in places, with lots of amusements and typical seaside resort attractions. However, it is really well kept and has a nice feel about it. The beach was lovely too with what seemed like miles of sand in sight 🙂 Again, not what we were expecting!

The following day we decided to visit some of the lesser known beaches of Lincolnshire, via the market town of Alford (which was a bit of a detour admittedly…) Although we didn’t stop in Alford it looked to be a very pleasant place. It has a working windmill that you can visit which, of course, includes a teashop.

From here the 1st beach we visited was Anderby Creek, just a little north of Chapel St Leonards. What a find! Continue reading “The Beautiful beaches of Lincolnshire – Cleethorpes to Anderby Creek”

Historic Lincoln – Sunday is a good day to visit!

I haven’t been to Lincoln since I was 15 so was really looking forward to this trip. From Fulbeck we took the A607 and passed through several pretty villages; Leadenham, Welbourn, Navenby, Boothby Graffoe… On arriving in Lincoln we managed to drive onto a pedestrian only area (it wasn’t obvious!) We then found an NCP car park close to the city centre and by the river to park in.

Now this was expensive – £7.80 for up to 4 hours (no option for 3 hours). But if we’d parked any further out I think it would probably have been too far to walk. If anyone knows of a better and cheaper place to park please feel free to share!

Anyway we found our way to the shopping area by walking through an alleyway between 2 very old buildings. There were many such buildings to admire, but after a spot of lunch we headed for the cathedral, which dominates the skyline and a very impressive sight it is too.

Lincoln Cathedral

The back of the shops in Lincoln

Before making it to the cathedral itself though we had to negotiate Steep Hill, which is very well named 🙂 (Look at the angle of that building on the left…)

Steep HIll, Lincoln

Shop on Steep HIll, Lincoln

Looking back down Steep Hill, Lincoln

Another shot up Steep Hill, Lincoln

This is a charming mediaeval street, approx. 1/4 mile long, Continue reading “Historic Lincoln – Sunday is a good day to visit!”

A surprise to be found in Oakham Castle

On the opposite side of Rutland Water from where we were staying lies Oakham, the county town of Rutland. So we decided to visit.

This is a pleasant little town although there doesn’t appear to be an awful lot going on. We parked up on the side of the road and went for a little wander, heading towards the church – which you can’t really miss. In the old market place we found this Butter Cross with it’s stocks.

We then took the path to the church, although we didn’t visit on this occasion, and then found an old school house behind the church. When I say old it has a inscription in Latin on the outer wall, and graffiti from, perhaps, the 16th century (we couldn’t be sure!)

From here we went into the castle grounds from the modern park (the front entrance is by the butter market). I thought that the grounds were all that was left, thinking that the building was a rather more modern church building (see the main photo above). How wrong could we be??!! It’s actually a 12th Century hall and is still used as a court building to this day!

As we walked in I just stopped and stared to try and take in what I was seeing – what an amazing sight! (The photos really can’t do it justice).

Entrance is free and there are a couple of guides available to answer any questions you might have, as well as plenty of information boards. The horseshoes are presented by any dignitaries who visit the town, and include many from the current royal family. Below I have included photos of the oldest one (from 1470..)

The end wall of Oakham Castle

In the judges chair (and wig) at Oakham Castle

The oldest horseshoe (the large one) from 1470

There is also a small shop, several toilets and refreshments. This was a real hidden gem and it would be so easy to miss out on it.

On our last day in Stamford it rained most of the day, and the only thing that we did was to walk across the fields from our campsite to the village of Ryhall, which is a nice little village.

On Wednesday when we moved on to Whittlebury Park for the grand prix . Once settled in we headed out to visit Rushden as this is where Calv was born and lived until he was about 7. I was very impressed that he remembered enough to drive straight to his old house in Coronation Avenue!

We wandered around the area, with Calv remembering various places and events, such as the school railings that he got his head stuck in when he was 5, the shop that they used to run down to and the shoe factory that his brother Phil used to work in. We also found his eldest sister’s house in Irchester where he and his niece used to play – this we very nearly missed as there has been quite a lot of development around the house.

On the way back we went through Higham Ferrers which was absolutely delightful – the picture below is of the church at Higham Ferrers (we didn’t take any pictures of Calv’s old house as it didn’t seem the right thing to do!)

The next 5 days were spent at the British Grand Prix – read all about it here 🙂

A day in Caythorpe brings back happy childhood memories

The Sunday before the Grand Prix we visited some of my relatives in the little village of Caythorpe (& Frieston) which sits midway between Grantham and Lincoln. This was a day full of memories for me as I spent many a happy family holiday here with my aunt and uncle (Audrey and Clarrie).

Calv was very much taken with where my cousins live, in an old cottage fronting onto the old village green. Who knows where we might end up living in our retirement??

20170709_161746 — The ‘other’ village green in Frieston

We had Sunday lunch in one of the 2 remaining Caythorpe village pubs, The Red Lion, which was lovely. Following this we donned our walking boots and took the dogs, Wally and Murphy – 2 of the best behaved dogs I have ever met 🙂 – for a walk.

We headed first to the church, where John and Jude are very active. This meant that we had more access than normal, and more information too.

The church itself, St Vincents, is Grade I listed and a rare example of a parish church with a double nave; it was built in the early 14th century.

20170709_171846 — The interior of St Vincents in Caythorpe

At the end of 1859 a lightning strike damaged the top 25 feet of the steeple. When it was repaired it was shortened by about 12 feet, causing a ‘bulge’ (known as ‘entasis’) at the top.

This information was learned not only from my cousins, but also from a lovely book by Christina Farley that I bought whilst visiting ( ISBN no. 978-0-948639-67-8).

However, the highlight of our visit was, for me anyway, the fact that I challenged myself to go all the way up the tower and into the steeple. Continue reading “A day in Caythorpe brings back happy childhood memories”

An 18 mile cycle around Rutland Water

I’m going back 2 weeks now to our trip around Rutland Water. The main point of visiting this area was to go around this reservoir.

Built in the early 70’s the area lost Lower (or Nether) Hambleton and much of Middle Hambleton (some of which survives as the promontory jutting out into the reservoir (an extra 7 miles on your bike ride if you choose to take it – we drove another day!) At low water it is still possible to see the foundations of some of the buildings that were demolished (which included a mediaeval cottage…)

You can read here about some of the dwellings that were lost – quite an interesting read (if a bit long..!)

The reservoir is now a bustling and well used leisure area. The day we cycled around it we were most certainly not alone – they were hundreds of others cycling or walking the route (perhaps not all the way around though!), as well as hundreds more enjoying the facilities available around the water or sailing, kayaking or paddle boarding on the water.

It was wonderful to see so many people out and about enjoying the big outdoors 🙂

Obstacles on the water at Rutland Water

View of yachts on Rutland Water

One day we will have a go on that obstacle course 🙂 Continue reading “An 18 mile cycle around Rutland Water”

Our Weekend at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix 2017

Finally I have been to the British Grand Prix!! What a wonderful early birthday present from Calv 🙂

Therefore I am writing this post before I tell you about our first stint in Lincolnshire & Rutland while it is all still fresh in my mind.

I am including several photos, but will also do a separate post in the Gallery, so keep an eye out for that in the coming days.

We did the whole thing – camping from Wednesday (although apparently there were some who arrived on Tuesday..), practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday and, of course, the race on Sunday. Plus all the entertainment and the after party. On Thursday we discovered that we could have gone into the circuit that day as well – only we hadn’t taken our tickets with us, and we were too shattered to walk back over later on!

I have to say that the camping, whilst packed in and with basic facilities, was brilliantly organised. I have written about the campsite separately here.

I do have to tell you though that many of the drivers and teams were actually staying in the hotel, including Jackie Stewart who, we were told, emerged to speak to fans at about 9pm one evening.

That first evening I stepped out of the van to be confronted by the wonderful sight of a hot-air balloon really close by.

20170712_203211-2 — Hot Air Balloon over Whittlebury Park Campsite, British Grand Prix 2017

I’m trying to keep this from being too long so will summarise where I can. I will be doing a separate post with top tips for if you’re thinking of going to the British Grand Prix in 2018 (or hopefully beyond…) Continue reading “Our Weekend at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix 2017”

In the footsteps Her Majesty the Queen – a visit to Sandringham House

We knew that we couldn’t leave this area of Norfolk without visiting Sandringham – it was less than 10 miles from where we were staying after all.

This is such a lovely part of the world. As you leave the main road and head towards Sandringham itself you find yourself driving along a wide tree-lined avenue; here you can park up for a picnic and to take walks in the woods.

Having already had lunch we continued to the spot where you find the house and church on the right side of the road (neither visible from the road), and on the left a large open area and a shop, café and toilets adjacent to the, free, parking.

The cost to visit the house, gardens and museum is £15.50 for each adult (£10 each if you don’t want to visit the house). It is worth it – the house is charming, and knowing that the royals use it as a much loved home in the winter makes it all the more special.

As you enter you immediately see items that the royals use daily whilst in residence, and there are numerous members of staff on hand to give you those little details that bring everything to life. We even met a lady who is on the winter staff and so was able to tell us that ‘this is where the queen sits when going through her correspondence each morning with her lady in waiting..’

20170706_142546_003 — The entrance to the Saloon at Sandringham

The house is owned by the Queen and all the contents belong to her personally as well. It really is an interesting and informative tour, but no photography is allowed inside the house, which is understandable (although it doesn’t stop people from trying it on..)

The museum is housed in the old coach house and stables. There is so much to see here including carriages, cars, bicycles, even a fire-engine!

In the old stables, still complete, with the original stalls, is a tearoom – I had a rather nice slice of Victoria sponge in here 🙂

The gardens are beautiful with various walks, the lake and a ‘nest’ visible across the lake towards the house.

Eventually you come to the church which is rather lovely. The altar-piece and pulpit are both very ‘rich’ – clearly crafted from silver. There are plagues to many royals evident within the church.

The following day we moved on to Stamford as we wanted to go to Rutland Water. In the afternoon we visited Stamford itself, a very pretty stone built town with several churches, a pretty riverside and a number of independent shops & pubs as well as the usual chains.

There used to be a castle here which is explained on an information board near the river.

We had a quick drink before heading back to the van. We didn’t choose the best establishment, but it was a good spot for people watching!

The following day we cycled around Rutland Water and I will recount this in my next post 🙂

A visit to Kings Lynn, then finding the Star of the Show – Castle Rising

I had seen a leaflet that made me think we really should visit Kings Lynn. Unfortunately our first impressions weren’t brilliant, which then clouded our overall impressions. The town centre was the first area that we really saw, sprawled over a large area of interconnecting streets it’s not the most inspiring town centre I’ve ever seen…

We eventually found the mediaeval area, the Minster, the Guildhall and the riverside. These definitely had their charms but, unfortunately, were unable to hold our attention. We think that, perhaps, if we’d managed to park by the riverside we would have been more inclined to explore more thoroughly – for instance I later found out that True’s Yard (Fisherfolk Museum) looked to be worth visiting. as well as ‘The Tales of Lynn’ situated next to the Guildhall. Maybe another time….

As it was we had a quick drink by the river in the Marriott’s Warehouse and then headed back to the town centre to get our hair cut (the morning wasn’t a complete waste of time!) To be fair having made an appointment when we arrived this probably affected our view of the town as we didn’t have time to really engage in anything.

I had seen a glimpse of a castle from the road on our way to town, and on seeing the sign for Castle Rising we diverted to go to have a look.

This is one of our best impulse visits so far 🙂 Castle Rising is totally enchanting. Continue reading “A visit to Kings Lynn, then finding the Star of the Show – Castle Rising”