Lake District and Pembrokeshire Walking

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When I last wrote we were about to drive to Bilbao and when we set off from the campsite the Picos were in all of their glory. It had been a fabulous stay and we had only really seen the eastern end and we will return to explore the other parts. It really makes us appreciate the fact that we are still well enough to get out and walk and feel the joy of tired legs at the end of a good walk.

The only downside was the fact I couldn’t try the local specialities which are different types of dried sausages and gorgeous looking mountain cheeses, including blue cheese which is not very common in Spain. My new regime doesn’t allow either and I need to take the advice seriously otherwise the hospital appointment was a waste of everyone’s time. I have found keeping a food diary invaluable and of course only 14 units of alcohol per week has been a real challenge.

The drive to Bilbao was interesting to say the least and we drove from Potes through a crazy valley with winding roads and several hairy bends with oncoming traffic. At the other end we were in Panes and it tickled me pots and pans!! We had coffee in Panes in one of those very rare places in Spain where the coffee was served up with very little in the way of hospitality. We continued on and got to the port in Bilbao and checked in ready for our ferry the next morning. At 7pm the gates were locked and we were safe for the night in the queue so we ate a simple meal and had a good night’s sleep.

The crossing is 25 hours and is about £500 which includes a four berth cabin which gets you a bit more space and means you don’t have to draw straws for who will be on the top bunk in a force 8 gale!! The ferry also negates the drive through France which is great when you have plenty of time but pretty boring if you just drive straight up to the channel ports. Thankfully the crossing was pretty calm and we met Christine, one of the other native English speakers from our Estacion Inglesa week, she was en route to two UK weddings.

We docked in Portsmouth about 9.30 and went straight to Romsey to visit Chris’ mam, had a quick cuppa with his sister and then headed north. We would usually spend a couple of days there but remembered it was the May Bank holiday looming so wanted to get to Newcastle before the madness began on the roads! We overnighted near Northampton, on a small campsite beside a canal, the location was good but the facilities were pretty grim. We set off early and had an easy journey north.

Now that Imogen is all grown up with a house I plan to stay with her so spent time moving my stuff from Vicki’s. She has a loft conversion so I have the room at the top of the house, out of the way. I spent three weeks getting up to date with everything UK. We had a great family BBQ at Idg’s and both girls are happy. Amy has a new job as assistant inspector, starting in the autumn, which is the core work of the CQC. I had a repeat blood test and the good news is that in about six weeks my cholesterol has gone from 9.3 to 4.4 which is pretty dramatic. I am sure the statins have helped, although I am on the lowest dose but I have been very strict with what I eat.

I have done a bit of helping out with my free time Amy’s back yard and under the stairs and Vicki’s front garden and garage were the beneficiaries. We had a couple of trips to the recycling village and the charity shop.

I am trying not to get too carried away but work is progressing in Spain, after a long saga the roof finally came off and the steel work is now up so building the second floor can begin. Soon we can think about colour schemes etc as it will be a blank canvas. We have already chosen the fittings, tiles etc for the shower room. Chris is going out in September to paint for two weeks, to be joined by his son Adam for the last week.

We are on the road again in the motor home and set off on 19^th June. Our first stop was Keswick, in the Lake District and we had 4 nights on a huge campsite (not my cup of tea) but it was in the centre of the town and we had great views. We used the local buses and did two beautiful walks and were blessed with good weather while we walked but did suffer some Lake District mizzle.

We then moved to Ravenglass in Eskdale to a lovely setting. On the day of the first Lions test I got the 0740 train to Whitehaven and walked to the rugby club to watch the game, which we lost. It seems like only yesterday that I was in Australia watching the Lions but that was four years ago. That Sunday the weather was glorious and we took the La’al Ratty narrow gauge steam train up through Eskdale to Dalegarth and then walked about 5-6 miles. We ended the day at a pub at Hardknott pass where a pretty random band called Tildon Krautz were playing, they were pretty eclectic. They write their own stuff and the female singer had a bit of a Madeleine Peyroux voice but we had to leave after the first set as we had to catch the last train.

We wild camped near Mold in North Wales for a night and spent the next day at Errdig a National Trust house with a fascinating history.

We had booked a helpx with Gordon and Muriel in Llandrillo to do some gardening and put up a shed. We arrived on Tuesday 27th and planned to stay a week and then head to Pembrokeshire but there were problems with the delivery of the shed so we went to Dale after a few days and have returned to put up the shed.

Gordon and Muriel are lovely couple in their 80’s but sadly neither are in good health so we did some gardening and cleaning and cooking. They have restored a beautiful house with fabulous views and we have a lovely double room with our own bathroom in one wing of the house. They are great cooks and wonderful hosts.

Dale is a lovely little village on the estuary around from Milford Haven. It has a pub, cafe, the Yacht club and a water sports centre. It is essentially a holiday place from Easter to October. We visited last year and loved it; the small campsite has five pitches, the couple who run it are in their 80’s and its 1.5 miles walk to the cafe or pub and back.

Dale was glorious as you can see from the photo. We did two more stretches of the coastal path, well I have but Chris only managed one. His knee has been worsening lately and walking in the Lakes on broken ground did not help. On Saturday we got the bus to Marloes and then walked down to the coastal path at Musselwick sands and walked back to West Dale beach and back to Dale. It was about 8 miles in total but the last two hours were painfully slow and Chris was in considerable pain. On Sunday he went fishing but came back empty handed, having caught only undersized Pollock, which have to be thrown back, but enjoyed being out in the bay. Monday I walked on my own from Dale to Milford Haven, it is 9 miles and very easy but pretty boring walking. There are two tidal sections and I set off at 8.30am to make sure I got over Sandy Haven beach before the high tide, if not it is a 5 mile detour. The first part was pretty looking across to Dale but closer to Milford it was just industrial and the last bit was on road and pavement. At the other end though was civilisation so bought some Welsh lamb, a bottle of wine and a Guardian. The bus back was at 13.30 and I had a well earned cup of tea back in Dale. We caught up with fellow motor homers Steve and Julie who had walked a different route that day.

Tuesday we set off back to Llandrillo, this time talking the route through the centre of Wales and after a long day spent the night in a car park in the beautiful village of Montgomery, which is just off the Offa’s Dyke path. We were just parking up when a local man walking his dog came towards the van and I thought he was going to say we couldn’t stay the night. Far from it, he admired Henry and then said there was grand beer in the Crown Inn and if you want food go to the Dragon Inn. We had a beer in both and met him again in the Crown. Both places were really friendly and mid Wales is a possible for another year.

Over the time we have been away Chris has been experimenting with his beer drinking and has started to develop a taste for beer as opposed to lager. He started trying IPA and even had a pint of Rev James bitter.

Yesterday we had a slow drive back and spent a few hours at the beautiful Chirk Castle, we did the guided tour which was fascinating and the gardens were glorious in the sunshine.

We are now back in Llandrillo with our helpx hosts and building the shed begins .

Finally the rugby, which is a real passion of mine. I watched the first test in Whitehaven and for the second test listened to the first half on the radio and missed the second half altogether but what a fabulous result. It’s all to play for in Auckland on Saturday and there is Sky Sports in the house so 08.35am this Saturday I will be sat in front of the telly with my Lions shirt on.............

Till next time



Norma xx

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[Irene Gilbert]

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