Still in the UK but not for much longer!

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It has been a long 12 weeks since the accident in Hamish and given it has turned very cold in the last few days, we are pleased that we will soon be heading south for the winter having confirmed a booking for the Channel Tunnel on Thursday. Brian has worked hard over the last 10 days to fit all the extra kit we need on Hamish to survive long term on the road. We now sport a solar panel, 2 leisure batteries, a sine wave inverter, a few extra shelves, a roll out awning and numerous other small enhancements. The skis even have a dedicated under floor space in the garage!

We enjoyed our 5 weeks of house sitting at Gate Lodge and used our time here to do lots of lovely walks, lots of birding and a bit of socialising. Some highlights include a visit to Snettisham RSPB site with the local birding group to see thousands of waders pushed close to shore by a very high tide; discovering Ashill Apple Farm at apple harvest time; going on a fungi foray in the Thetford Forest with an expert guide; and visiting West Stow Saxon village with Hazel and Eleanor.

Following the return of the residents of Gate Lodge (AKA David & Janice) we went off to play tourists in London visiting some new places such as the National Army and the Sir John Soanes museums – so many interesting things to see in both of them. Dropped into the V&A for a few hours, strolled the sights of central London, came across a William Morris exhibition at the lovely 15c Temple House and caught up with an old friend. We also spotted Mick Jagger on Kings Road and had a meal at the White Horse in Parsons Green (famed for its real ales and good food).

In mid November, after hearing the repairs to Hamish would take another few weeks, we decided to take a "holiday" up on the North Yorshire coast staying 10 days in a lovely coastal hamlet called Port Mulgrave and managing to pack in several great days walking. Our walks covered large sections of the coastal paths between Port Mulgrave, Staithes, Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay and Ravenscar. Our moorland routes took us around Rivieulx Abbey, Captain Cook Monument, Roseberry Topping and the Hole of Horcum. We left feeling there was still plenty more walks to be done.

We also managed to read a couple of books, find a few geocaches and visit relatives in Bradford which turned out to be a challenging trip as it was pea soup fog nearly all the way there and back!

Well, that's about all the news for now. Look out for our next update in the new year from somewhere a lot further south than here!


Kathryn & Brian

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Photos

West Stow Saxon Village
Professional re-enactors brought the village alive

Bonfire Night
Basking in the glow of the Brandon Village Bonfire

North Yorshire Moors
Captain Cook monument in the background

North Yorshire Moors
Hole of Horcum

Comments

[Susan Forby]

Hello from Adelaide.
Kathryn and Brian, wow you have been up to a lot since last we met. Looks like great fun, I am especially jealous of all the bird watching you have been doing. Not too sure about the cold though, but then you both really enjoy the snow so..... We have toured a lot of Australia on the motor bikes during the last few years and are currently working out way towards moving up north to Queensland for the warmer weather. Enjoy your adventures and have a great Christmas and all the best for 2012. Sue.