Oh, I needed that

A break in the clouds, the only one we are forecast to get all week. I knew it would be so good for me to make the effort and get outside. Even so, I nearly managed to talk myself out of it and turn the sewing machine on instead.

But I kicked myself hard up the bottom and took Blue Bus out rationalising that I could just park up, make a mug of tea, turn around and go home . . . but I am so glad I did not.

Surprisingly cold, not nearly as sunny as I had hoped (the weather forecast was wrong, quélle surprise) but just lovely to be outside. Not even two miles BUT it was still more than I walked on a forest path yesterday, so that's brilliant.






And any day I get to see and smell gorse is a good one.










Back at Blue Bus I had my lunch with me but postponed it in favour of a cuppa and a few minutes with my book thinking how lucky I am, how lovely it was to be warm, dry, comfortable and surrounded by trees and (near) silence.



I have struggled to return to Whinlatter on my own, but today by making a deliberate decision to go to a different part of the forest I had a lovely time and am actually looking forward to going back again.


Having now seen the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday (40 - 50mph wind) I am rather pleased I extracted the digit.

Go outside. Sit down. Wait.

Morning all, been a bit quiet around here, hasn't it? No reason other than 21st century life getting in the way and seeming to consume nearly all available hours, plus a 10-year-old shoulder injury decided to make a return visit and that has somewhat slowed me down. But in the context of political lunacy, economic uncertainty, climate change and wars in places there really should not be conflict, I am bloody brilliant!

No, seriously, I am brilliant! Yes I am in pain, yes I am having disturbed sleep because of the shoulder pain so I'm tired all the damn time (oh, how I hate feeling tired), yes there are things I cannot do right now because of the shoulder pain. But those restrictions are occuring in the protective bubble of a warm house that does not leak or have rooms filled with black mould. A house we own that is not at risk of a Section 21 eviction order (read this article, it's unbelievable in a supposedly civilised society). The freezer is full and my store cupboards have enough food to keep us going until someone feels like making a visit to the supermarket.

So wherever you are, whatever you are coping with, whatever the Universe is currently chucking at you, I hope you can deal with it with a level of peace. And if not, then leave a ranting comment here and be guaranteed my sympathy and some (hopefully not empty or meaningless) words of support.

With a holiday season approaching at the speed of a Hogwarts locomotive there will be a chance for many of us to get outside a little more than usual. As the weather continues to be cold, windy, wet and sometimes all those things at the same time here's some Required Reading: Every year Tim Budd, a member of a Mountain Rescue Team and extremely experienced fellrunner and outdoor chap, re-publishes this superb article.

Please have a read and take a moment to think: "how long would you be comfortable if you went outside, sat down, and waited . . ."


Tim Budd - Tested to Destruction blog



Love and festive hugs to everyone.

Glass half full

How can it possibly be more than a decade - ELEVEN YEARS - since I brought home a starved, terrified, bag of bones?



That same walking-skeleton-with-fur-sprayed-on who became Little Miss Perfect, the chunky monkey who never put a foot wrong.



I have released her Spirit; I did so long ago and know that she's out there somewhere living her very best afterlife with her original human. The person who must have treated her with love and kindness because once Daisy got through her initial fears we found a kind, gentle, incredible little dog who knew how to walk perfectly, obey commands, demand the dregs of a teacup and commandeer an entire sofa. She did not learn any of those things from a 'bad' first owner. When she was separated from that person it must have broken her heart as much as losing her broke mine.



I still miss her every day and my heart is still in two pieces, but these days I am mostly able to think of the walks, the cuddles, the good times we shared. There is nothing to be gained by allowing the pain to overshadow those special moments, and there were so many of them to treasure. With a world engulfed in such crap and disarray at present I need my glass more full than empty and rejoice in all that Daisy brought to my life.








I did not get nearly long enough with her but I did get time with a dear Soul who taught me so much, absorbed all the love that I had to give and, I think, loved me equally in return.

Priorities ?

This is not a "complaint" blog because multiple times a day I realise how incredibly fortunate I am to be in a position where too much to do in the house and garden is an exceptional privilege, and one I do not take for granted.

BUT, does anyone else sometimes think they have their priorities stuffed up? Right now, that feels like me.

There has been something of a radio silence here because in the past few weeks all Blue Bus has done is take me to various retail outlets. Even those trips have been only on the seemingly rare occasions when I am not busy doing things here or recovering from doing things here. First off there's the garden - at this time of year trying to get cleared up before winter is an ever-present on the To Do list. Let's just say with a named storm every two weeks and almost daily rain in between I have pretty much given up on the idea of completing that task.

Then there has been the replacement of four more windows which leaves me with three rooms to decorate. Blue Bus knows exactly how to get to B&Q and the paint is sitting waiting.





Then there was FINALLY getting the builder we trust to enlarge openings in the house undercroft and install proper lintels so that we can safely access underneath the floor. The rolls of insulation are still getting in the way in the kitchen . . . but it's already taken 15 years to get to this point so I am not fretting about it.



Then there were many hours splitting logs and finally filling up the log store for the coming winter. A task we usually try to complete by August, clearly that schedule was a fail in 2023.



Which brings me back to priorities. Yes it is important to look after our property and I am fortunate to be able to do so. BUT I'm also 15 years older than when I started this stupid project and I don't have the energy to work at it all day every day. Going out on the fells might be tiring but it re-energises me and restores much of what makes me "me". And it is the one thing I am absolutely not making time for.

My priorities have to change, but I guess realising that is the first step and writing about it here is a way of holding myself accountable. Am I the only one who gets sucked in like this?

First snow ! ☃️ ☃️ ☃️

It would be mean to keep this all to myself. 😀 Today, the sky really is that clear, that blue.

First snow picture of 2023. Skiddaw.

Absolutely bloomin' gorgeous outside today, and much being accomplished in the garden.

Comments - this is bizarre

Thank you for visiting yesterday, and for the comments.

I am having the most bizarre time with Blogger at present. Clearly I am signed in because otherwise I would not be able to post this - but I cannot reply to any of the comments left yesterday. I have tried in Safari (both regular and private mode), Firefox and Chrome. I'm on the same computer I used yesterday which has not been rebooted or updated in the last 24 hours. But all I see is the blue "sign in to leave a comment" box and when I click that I do not get logged in. Very strange and I am not in the mood to try to resolve it this morning.

So to Sue in Suffolk - thank you for still visiting!

To Sooze - hope you had a lovely birthday, and yes to the 'grief thing'.

Vix - you are so wise, and yes, I often look through my old blog. That probably makes me a Grade A Saddo but who cares? 🤣 🤣

To Granny S - bimble is a terrific word. Dictionary definition is to walk with no particular haste or purpose. I think that should be my "word of the week", maybe even the word of the month 😉

And now, as it is blowing an absolute HOOLEY outside I am officially declaring today an indoors one, so I will finish feeding and waxing some wooden furniture whose timbers are overdue a bit of care and love.

Crossing Borders, and Accidentally AWOL

Ooops. Where did the last month go? It has been fully and thoroughly occupied by gardening, builders doing some long-overdue work to the house undercroft, more new windows, and the minutiae of “life in general”.

All very time consuming accompanied by many thoughts of how lucky I am to be doing it all.
All completely irrelevant to a blog which I am trying to keep focussed on my campervan.

Ignoring my little blog was quite deliberate, but I didn't expect that once I had no need to visit Blogger for myself I would drift away from reading and commenting elsewhere, that was not deliberate at all. If I have ignored you when I usually visit and comment, sorry.


But yesterday I had errands to run which took me over the border to Scotland. As I passed the huge blue & white sign on the M74 I reflected on how simply I had crossed from one country to another. On how I was in a warm, safe van with plenty of water, food, clean clothes and heating. Thousands of people in other parts of the world cannot cross borders, it was a sobering thought (grainy screenshot from Dashcam).



However, the cessation of 'normal' life in other places does not mean we should not carry on with our lives, so before I joined the motorway I took some time for a visit to Houghton Hall. It was a shock to find it's nearly five years since I was last there; it is almost on my doorstep but definitely not on my regular radar. A quick rummage at the Bag End blog brought up this post:



Poor Daisy was determined not to enjoy her day out . . . The subsequent blog post tried to explain her behaviour (in as much as you can ever explain) and yes, I would have that unique brand of crazy which was my Darling Girl back in a heartbeat. I do not believe you every really "get over" deep grief, you just learn to live alongside it.




Yesterday, however, I had a bloomin' lovely time and the Christmas displays at Houghton Hall were so much better than in 2018. I escaped without buying a single thing (because more decorations? really?) but the atmosphere was lovely and clearly so much time and effort had gone into setting up the retail space this year.










Errands accomplished I headed for home and figured that as I was almost going past the door of Dobbies I should check out their Christmas displays as well. Hmm, should have quit whilst I was ahead. What a difference - perhaps it was too late in the day (4.00pm) but the store was almost empty, the lights were too bright and there was no atmosphere at all. The decorations were laid out in seried ranks which might have been easy to shop from but there was no incentive to do so.

Came home with my credit card safely untouched all day, but what a lovely trip out; my errands could have been accomplished in about 3 hours if I had been focussed (hour there, hour back, hour doing stuff) but this was far more relaxed. Bimbling around in the comfort of Blue Bus, mugs of tea whenever I felt the need, lunch in the fridge, and most of the comforts of home if required. I really MUST make the effort and do this more often.

It Begins Again

This post is not about camping or "campervanning", other than very indirectly. It is about books and as I usually take a book with me when I'm out in the van (and it is my blog, my rules 😁) I can make an unrelated post fit the brief.

A very long time ago (I was 10 years old) I first discovered The Hobbit and remember reading it over the Christmas holiday. The following summer I got hold of a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. Comments may have been made that it was not suitable for an 11-year-old and I remember someone saying "oh just leave her, she won't finish it". But of course, I did and quickly followed up with the other two books. I never really enjoyed The Two Towers - all those battle scenes just blended into one, but I persevered with The Return of the King.

Since then I have re-read the entire trilogy nearly every year - the first two during the summer holiday and the third at Christmas.


In October 2018 I was idly flicking around the TV and found the Sky dramatisation of Deborah Harkness's "Discovery of Witches". I only looked at the first episode for the glorious shots of Oxford and Venice, both places I love and have not been to for many years. Never having bothered with the "vampire and witchy" genre which seems to have taken up so much airtime over the past few years I was not very invested in the basic story.
Until I was.
Hooked,
Down. The. Rabbit. Hole,
Enthralled by Harkness's writing which is a class act. She is a professor at USC, teaching medieval history and the history of science. At its most fundamental this is a love story with shades of Romeo and Juliet (and a nod to The Bard as book two is set in 1590). These books have now sold millions, the trilogy became four with 5 & 6 in the works.

This epic tale has become my annual read since 2018 but for some reason always takes place in the Autumn. My first 'copy' was in Kindle form but this year I've treated myself to new paperbacks and the very tenuous 'van connection' is that they will go with me when I'm out and about.



The first is 'only' 688 pages and I am trying to ration myself to less than 100 pages per day to make the journey last, but it's hard, damn hard! The Kindle version contained 1,760 pages in the first three books - more than The Hobbit and LotR combined - whoops. 😉


Does anyone else have a special book they return to year after year?

I do not need . . .

This year I really do not need to buy any Christmas decorations. I already have dozens, so many that there are years when not everything makes it out of the boxes. But I admit my wander through Lakes Home Centre last week did whet the appetite so I popped back in to see how the shelves were looking laden with this year's temptation. They were looking fairly sparse and bloody expensive.

This was the only item which caught my eye - about 20cm long and very heavy.



Really? I do not need it that badly (and looking at the detail which shows more in the photo than I saw on the shelf, maybe it is not that nice after all?)




Then into town for groceries and bumped into a friend I've not seen for a while, so a long chat in Sainsbury's carpark. They asked how much I had been away in the van this year and what my plans were for future trips. When I admitted I had only been away twice in 2023 and had nothing booked for the rest of the year they expressed disappointment in me - apparently if I have a van I am expected to sleep in it far more often than I do.

Still a friend, but one added to the drawer labelled "really nice person, but really does not understand me".



This week Blue Bus has provided a warm, comfortable space for me to finish sorting out my hair after a swim, and a quick mug of tea after a walk in local woodland.



I have also been indulging in a considerable amount of this:



I cheerfully admit to something of a small obsession with Ordnance Survey maps and three new ones arrived this week. This is Sheet 429 which is north of the gorgeous Morvich & Glenelg where I fell in love in July. There are only TWO 'A' roads on this entire sheet one of which has a big section that is single track, there is a wee part of the Torridon road top left, and a bare handful of very minor bits of surfaced tarmac which have less width than our driveway. There may have been some plotting and planning this week. 🥾

I do not think I need to do much more but I am constantly surprised by the expectations of others.

Is it me?

Do people in your life do this to you?

100 Days

We interrupt our normal broadcasting . . . because driving to Aldi, Sainsbury's and the swimming pool are not particularly blog-worthy and I have not been anywhere more interesting in the Blue Bus since returning from Scotland.

On the way to stock up with veggies today I stopped at the housewares/DIY/garden/all-sorts-of-bits store on the outside of town. It's a lovely place and often has interesting and pretty things which you did not need and suddenly find you don't want to live without.

This morning the staff were busy having the annual shelf-move-around. I really do not need a single additional decoration but know I will be back next week to see the shelves full of the latest temptation:



In 100 days it will be Christmas Eve and if you haven't bought it / made it / arranged it by then it will be too late.
Assuming you needed to buy / make / arrange it in the first place.

I cannot accurately predict a White Christmas but I can predict a very quiet holiday season at Bag End.
What will you be doing this year?

Going it alone

Sue in Suffolk left a lovely comment and said she would like to be brave enough to do a similar trip, and Vix egged me on, so here goes. I have included Amazon links not because I expect to earn any money from you but to show what I am talking about (assuming they work . . . I may not have set them up properly). Most items have increased in price since I purchased them, but I did not buy everything in one go, it has taken a few years to collect everything.

I am NOT brave, truly I can be a massive wimp and a coward. If I was brave I'd have been on that ferry to Orkney, or the Kylerhea ferry to Skye.

I would love to see more older ladies do trips on their own. You do not have to go so far, or for so many days. But each journey is surprisingly liberating, wonderfully empowering and helps build confidence for the rest of whatever life throws at us. And let's face it, post-menopause life does tend to throw all sorts of rubbish at us and self-confidence can be one of the many things to suffer.

You do not need to be brave to travel solo. First off, did I mention that I AM NOT BRAVE. I am, however, more than a little risk-averse, so all I have done is think about what MY risk factors are (which may well be different to yours) and work out how to minimise those risks, or have a Plan B if something does happen.

It just takes a little bit of planning and the knowledge that I'm not going to Outer Mongolia or some far-flung corner of anywhere. I am unlikely to be ~that~ far from a shop, cafe, or in the worst case - a house where I could stop and knock on the door to ask for assistance. I am not good at asking for help, ever, but on the rare occasions I've needed information, guidance (or whatever) I generally find myself surprised and amazed at how kind and helpful people are. Certainly on campsites I find that people want me to succeed - I am often offered help even when I do not need it.


So here is my completely unscientific and unauthorised guide to going it alone, in no particular order other than what popped into my brain as I wrote this. It has become rather long, sorry 🤓, but as I started to list things I have learned/worked out since I started going away alone I realised there is quite a lot which I now take for granted that was, once upon a time, new or unknown to me.


Possible risk: Being in the wrong leisure vehicle
Although I only have a fraction of the living space in Blue Bus that I enjoyed in Bill, a smaller vehicle is much, much easier and far less tiring. Being able to slip into a normal sized parking space and an Auto gearbox have been game-changers. I am absolutely certain that I enjoyed myself more and was far less stressed and tired driving a van which is shorter than a big Audi, BMW or Mercedes, and has less width than a big Range Rover or Jaguar. This is definitely an area where Less is More.


Possible risk: running out of fuel
I never, if I can help it, let the fuel tank drop below one-third and one-half is my absolute FILL UP NOW point. That way I know I always have enough diesel to drive pretty much anywhere. Even in the wilderness which is the Scottish Highlands I was never more than an hour or two from "civilisation". Unless you were being particularly cavalier or careless I cannot see how you could run out of fuel?




Possible risk: not being able to get help if you need it
Mobile phone signals are surprisingly good in the most remote places.



Even here I had a full 4G signal and was emailing photos directly back to Himself at home:



Possible risk: getting lost
Learn how to read a map - it really is not difficult, plan your route well in advance (thank you Google maps), scout things ahead of your trip with StreetView so that you will recognise important landmarks and junctions whilst you are driving.

I bought a separate SatNav because I have always trusted Garmin equipment and the one I have put in Blue Bus is superb. Do not rely solely on technology - it can and will fail and paper maps take up very little space in a vehicle.

edit: Brilliant suggestion from Graham, thank you:
I would just add one small point about one's location if in need of assistance. These days one can be pinpointed to a 3 metre square (near enough) by using What3Words ( https://what3words.com/ ). Even if one is out walking in the local woods the local police/rescue people can find you easily. There is a phone app. It's used by all the emergency services these days especially on mountains and in rural areas.

Amazon link - I might earn about one penny if you bought one!
Garmin "DriveSmart"

Possible risk: breaking down
I have breakdown cover for the van, it is regularly serviced and the tyres (including the spare) are checked far more frequently than is probably necessary. Two credit cards in case one fails, and cash hidden for a emergency. If I was stuck at the roadside waiting for help I would feel much safer in the Scottish Highlands than in the middle of a large town.

If something else breaks (either me or in the van) I have a first aid kit, a simple tool-kit and know how to use both.


Possible risk: gas bottle running out or the cooking hob fails
I carry spares of all the van-stuff which I consider important. Your priorities will vary, but at the very least I have clean, bottled drinking water and one of those small "cassette" gas units which run off butane cans so I can always make a hot drink, cook pasta, heat up a bottled sauce.

Amazon link:
Camping Gaz Stove


Possible risk: running out of food
In the extremely unlikely event I ran out of fresh food, I always carry some dried pasta, a couple of packets of pre-cooked Tilda rice, and various jars which could be combined to make a hot sauce. That, accompanied by a mug of tea, will go a long way to sorting out most problems, even if it is just keeping sane whilst you wait for a roadside breakdown truck to appear.




Possible risk: the fridge fails
See above for how to eat very well from packets and jars.


Possible risk: the water pump or water heater fail
That is why I have bottles of water and a kettle, and the portable gas stove thingy. I can always heat water for a drink or if I need a wash.


Possible risk: Personal safety
I think this is the biggest concern, even though most people perhaps could not say exactly what they were afraid of.

My van (and I expect most modern vehicles) has automatic door-locking as soon as I drive off so no-one is going to jump into the back of the vehicle when I stop at traffic lights and abduct me! I'm also fortunate that Blue Bus has extremely dark privacy glass so whilst I can see out perfectly well, no-one can see in unless they clamber around the front or rear windscreen and I am likely to notice that.

Generally when I stop for tea/coffee/lunch if I've not got a door open for ventilation then I will keep the vehicle locked so I know I am quite safe should I doze off (yes, it has happened 😴 ).

I always stay on campsites. I could free-load in a parking area in the middle of nowhere but I choose not to. I like knowing that I'll have an electric hook-up overnight and will be starting tomorrow with all my batteries fully charged whilst putting some money into the local economy.   I am not worried about bathroom facilities because Blue Bus has a little toilet and for a night or two I can have a 'sink wash'.

Whilst an idylic remote parkup might look great late afternoon you never know who/what is going to turn up after you've got yourself settled. Spending the night either worried to go outside your own vehicle or having to drive off in the dark and look for somewhere else is not my idea of a relaxing holiday.


Possible risk: Other people being gits
With age and increasing risk-averseness (is that a word?) I know I drive a little more slowly and more cautiously than I may have done in my youth. If someone wants to be in front of me, I let them. If someone is determined to barge past my vehicle when I have right of way, I let them. Avoiding an accident is more important than arriving 15 seconds sooner.

I have two dashcams running at all times. Obviously one in the front windscreen as usual, but when I sold two vehicles in order to get Blue Bus I found I had a spare and that is now mounted in the rear. I have never needed either, and hope I never will, but it gives peace of mind - the moment when a man walked in front of me in Ullapool will take a lot of forgetting.

I have a fully-charged mobile phone at all times, and a spare battery pack for an emergency top up if I am going anywhere that involves a rucksack and miles of walking.

Amazon link:
Lightweight battery pack

I am registered with the police so that if the mobile signal was weak enough that I could not phone "999" I could get a text through.
Everyone should sign up to this service even if you do not go away, you never know when you might need it.

click this link: 999-text-service


Possible risk: getting wet
If I get soaked I always have a change of clothes at hand, and this was the case even before I had a campervan. It doesn't take much organisation to equip the back of your car with supplies for a "Day-venture". As well as essentials for Daisy, in the back of the Subaru I carried spare clothes in case I got really wet, or needed another fleece layer, one of the cassette stoves to heat water, plus kettle, mug, bottled water, tea bags, powdered milk {yuk, but better than black tea} and a couple of nut/cereal bars. Sometimes that is all you need to turn a normal journey into a very restorative outing. I found a couple of old photos of the car - even with the junk I carried about there was still room for all the shopping, and to sit in the boot with the tailgate open and have a brew.



(Here I will point out that I did not put my stove right under someone's bumper - he arrived and parked that close once I was set up and brewing)




Possible risk: being cold
Like many campervans, Blue Bus has a diesel heater which uses only a tiny bit of fuel and is so effective I can only run it for 20 minutes before I am too hot. If that should fail and I am on a campsite I carry a very small electric heater that will make use of electric hookup.

If all that fails I can boil a kettle, fill a hot water bottle, or use a fleece blanket which has a 12V heating circuit in it. So that I do not drain either the engine battery or the camper leisure battery I also carry a battery pack which could run the blanket for hours if necessary (and the battery pack could also jump start the van, charge my phone, iPad, and anything else which needs topping up).

Amazon link:
Heated Fleece Blanket

Amazon link, this one started my Subaru on many occasions:
Jump start battery


Possible risk: being lonely
Honestly, that is NEVER going to happen. I have spent most of my life alone and thoroughly enjoy my own company, I actively seek out the pure bliss of total peace, silence and solitude. However, on the rare occasions I do want to talk to someone it is remarkably easy to have incredibly interesting conversations with total strangers whilst on holiday: in shops, at eagle-watching viewpoints, in antique centres, in cafes, at campsites.

I suspect it is actually easier for a single lady to get into a conversation than a man or a couple.


Possible risk: forgetting something critical or vital
I am going to start by assuming that you are not an idiot and if something (medication? credit cards?) is THAT vital then you will not forget it. If you do find yourself miles from home without a critical item:

a) realise it was not that critical after all.
b) buy a replacement either from the nearest shopping centre or have Amazon deliver it to your campsite.
c) turn around and drive home: this is meant to be a holiday, fun, enjoyable and if you absolutely cannot live without whatever you left behind then go and get it. If you leave a place then you already know the route and can go back there another time!



One of the best things I have learned from the last few years in caravans and motorhomes is just how little you really need to be warm, comfortable and well fed. I am ~not~ trying to recreate being at home (in which case I should stay there), I am camping - just not in a tent. You do not need much in the way of spares to know that there's a backup if Plan A fails. Knowing that Plan B is just a cupboard/tub-in-the-boot away gives a huge amount of peace of mind and THAT is often all you need to have the confidence to have a go.


If you sit down and write a list of what you are afraid of, and then work out how you would deal with each dire possibility should it occur, then you are ready to travel!

Two more things: if I have forgotten something obvious please do point it out, and PLEASE blog about your adventures because we all love armchair travel.



and a PS:
Whilst I really love and appreciate every comment, if all you are planning is telling me you CAN'T then please do not bother.

Even those of you who know me only know part of me.
You have no idea what I have overcome to get here.

If I can use a car as a 'day van' or go out in a campervan on my own, so can you.

A different route home

I cannot lie - the journey up to the Highlands two weeks earlier had not been one of my best. Traffic on the motorway around Glasgow was foul, getting over the Erskine bridge was quite unpleasant and the 'top section' of the A82 as it runs next to Loch Lomond was horrible in the extreme (and I later found out that an hour or so after I went through it was closed because of an accident for three hours, thankfully no-one was seriously hurt this time but it a dangerous stretch of tarmac).

I vowed I was coming home a different way and wow, am I glad I did so.

Usual route, (thick blue line on the left) versus new route (pale line on the right). According to mapping software it was only 6 miles further but goodness, the contrast in journey was "night & day". My revised route was on decent quality tarmac, not at all busy, and I got to drive through a section of the Trossachs National Park which I do not think I have been to before. Quite gorgeous and I've found another area I want to come back to.



Somewhere near Callander I saw a sign for an Antique Centre and on impulse turned off the road. A few hundred yards later I was parked outside:



Oh, that was a fun hour . . . lots of different vendors under one roof, cleverly arranged so that you constantly got lost and had to turn around and around to make sure you hadn't missed anything. Sensible prices too, nothing like the exhorbitant charity shop prices in Fort William. I came home with a wicker basket from this first display, probably no age to it but exactly what I needed for the other side of our slate hearth, and the bonus of reminding me of a lovely journey every time I take some kindling.









I was tempted here but managed to resist. This Kodak is the first camera I ever owned, I must have been about 10 years old.






When I parked Blue Bus I had seen a large area roped off. When I came out I found lots of new arrivals - the Morgan Owners Group were out for lunch and what a fabulous sight on a slightly damp and overcast day.








The rest of my drive was remarkably uneventful and far less tiring than the dreaded A82 with the motorway from Stirling especially traffic-free. So much so that when I got to Carlisle I had the energy to stop at Sainsbury's and do a massive household shop because I needed a fridge full of fresh vegetables.


And then back to Bag End.

14 days
1300 miles
6 campsites
800 photos

Countless memories and so many extra places on the "I need to visit" list that I seriously wonder if I will live long enough to get to them all!

Thank you for coming along on this journey and for sharing my memories. I've really appreciated the company. 🥰