Yorkshire and Northumberland

Basic Information:  16 July for 3 nights. Cost  at Wendsleydale for 3 nights £46 and at Nunnykirk for 6 nights £84.

Monday 16 July 2012 - Departed Great Totham at 10.30am after taking Jasper to the cattery. Arrived at Lower Wensleydale camp site at about 4pm. Got the caravan sorted out. I am learning the ropes, slowly. I can get water barrel filled, connect up the grey waste, put the four legs down on the caravan and help put up the awning. Went into Leyburn to get a few provisions from the co-op.   This site has lots of ducks and rabbits and birds - all totally unafraid of us.

Next day we went to the RHS Harlow Carr gardens where we had our picnic lunch.  Very interesting vegetable gardens.

Drove through Harrogate. We then went up to Ribblehead, across the Yorkshire Dales and eventually to Hawes where we went to the Wensleydale creamery to buy Wensleydale cheese of Wallace and Grommets fame!  One thing I have noticed is the number of people who have dogs in this area. So many more compared to down south. And they all look very well looked after. There are also lots of sheep too, as far as the eye can see.  Ian said that with so many rocky hills and mountains it rather limits your options as a farmer! Also noticed there are lots of cows, some brown with white middle, some black, some red brown, even plain white ones.

Wednesday 18 July. Went across the Yorkshire moors to the seaside resort of Scarborough, first to north bay, then walked to south bay which is a bit more lively. Noticed lots of Staffordshire bull terriers. Is that because scarborough is a seaside town that may attract homeless people who, if they have a dog, will tend to go for Staffie? Also quite a lot of people with springer, Cocker as well as Cavalier Spaniels.  Very strange because I would like to get a cavalier spaniel.

After a cup tea at a café on the seafront, we caught the open top bus back to north bay. Went to Peasholm Park. Then back to the car. Drove to Whitby - lovely old town (photos). Walked around soaking up the atmosphere. Stayed for something to eat as we would be back late.

Thursday 19 July. Left Wensleydale with caravan and headed to Northumberland and to Nunnykirk campsite near Rothbury. After getting the caravan sorted out we went for a walk along a track to Nunnykirk house which we found out later was now a school for dyslexia. Had supper then went to co op in Rothbury. Found signal there as we have no phone signal at the campsite.

Friday 20 July. Went to Craigside NT property but only did garden and grounds because the house doesn't open until 1pm. This house was owned by Lord Armstrong and was one of the first houses to have electricity. 

There was a pump house to pump spring water to the house and a power house to supply electricity generated by the water from the lakes and water flow (photos).  Went from there to Holy Island where I will be staying for two nights at the Open Gate.

Saturday - Ian went to Beamish Living Museum of the North. 

We heard later on the local news that a young boy who was not a visitor had had an accident on one of the machines and had died. Ian remembers seeing a man and a women and a young boy dressed in costume at one of the traction engines.  It must have been him.

Sunday - Ian picked me up from Holy Island and we went to visit Lindesfarne Castle on the island.

We then drove to Berwick-upon-tweed - the town is a bit tatty - not very impressive. Ian stayed there for a week doing geology when he was at Sunderland Polytechnical. Drove through Alnwick which is lovely Georgian town on our way back to the caravan. Ian has bought a cable to plug in to TV socket on the power bollard so we have tv!

Monday went via Morpeth to Cramlington. This is where Ian used to live when he worked for Lloyds in Newcastle. We went to the flat that he used to own at 15 lindslade walk in Beaconhill. I remember going there before when we came up to Northumberland. We then went to the shopping area which had expanded quite a bit since Ian lived there from 1980 to 1986. All happy memories. 

We then drove on to the NT property called Seaton Delaval. 

This is a work in progress property as the nt are in middle of restoring it after a bad fire. Ian remembers cycling past itoften when he lived up here and wondering what it was all about. The gardens were delightful (photos) and we had our picnic lunch there. Then took a quick drive along the coast to see Seaton sluice then whitley bay all with super big yellow sand beaches. Went briefly through Tynemouth which looks like a lovely town. 

We then drove to Wallington Hall near Combo which is very close to our caravan site. What a delightful house, so beautiful and yet with such a friendly atmosphere. Julian Travellan was playing classic music on the piano in the main hall it was so beautiful that you wanted to cry (photos) and he was only 13 years old.

We spoke briefly to his father Peter who is from the family who used to own the house before it was given to the national trust in the early 1950's. Back to caravan. Chicken for dinner. Did this diary, read newspapers.

Tuesday. Last day of our holiday. Determined to see Cragside House, so off we went. Decided to go to the English heritage property Belsay hall, castle and gardens. Very interesting house that was built in 1817 by Sir Charles Monck of Middleton family.  The house was quite empty which was rather intriguing because you saw the actual structure and layout of the house which you probably wouldn't notice if it was full of furniture.  The Middleton family had lived for 700 years in the castle in the grounds until the house was built. Terraced gardens and an unusual quarry garden. 

We then drove to Hadrians wall and got on a tour. The man leading the tour was very interesting and I learnt a lot about the Romans building the wall. The word Decimate comes from the Romans. If a roman soldier did something wrong this is what would happen. 10 soldiers would draw straws and the one who drew the short straw would be killed by the others. So someone paid although not necessarily, the guilty man.

We then high-tailed it back to Rothbury hoping to get to Cragside before the house closed but despite our best efforts we didn't quite make it. So after a refreshing cup of tea we took a drive around the estate and then back to the caravan. I messaged Anna to say that we could pick her up from Danny's on our way home tomorrow.  We need to make an early start tomorrow morning. So we had supper and then took the awning down and packed in the boot of the car. The good thing about caravaning is that you don't have to pack everything back into suitcases - just leave everything as it is.