Northern Delights

Keen as always to avoid Bank Holiday crowds we decided to stay fairly local and visit Hope Agricultural Show in the Peak District so drove to near Ladybower Reservoir and then cycled the last few miles overtaking long queues of stationary traffic. The show was excellent with a good range of displays and stalls as well as the usual horticulture and craft competition marquees.

 

A highlight in the main ring was a superb display of horsemanship with a guy riding two horses standing on their backs and controlling up to 6 others in a free flowing display of great skill and coordination. Later a display of vintage tractors, vehicles and finally the livestock competition winners rounded off a very enjoyable day.

Later that week I headed off to Dent station via York visiting my elderly aunt in her care home and very much counted my blessings as I pulled up to the remote spot high above Garsdale where two years ago we had stayed in the Snow Huts. To enjoy the Settle Carlisle line I decided to hop on a train down to Skipton and back just to enjoy the route and later enjoyed a quiet night with not even the overnight freight trains rumbling through due to strike action. I later meandered across to Penrith where friends had invited me for dinner and to overnight. It was good to catch up and as always I was keen to see his ever expanding model railway layout.

The Solway Aviation Museum north of Carlisle was well worth the visit, had a very reasonable admission price (£6) and provided a rare opportunity to climb in to the cockpit of a very well preserved Vulcan bomber. This sleek delta wing aircraft had carried our nuclear deterrent at the height of the Cold War but only engaged in combat missions during the Falklands conflict when flown via Ascension Island to bomb Port Stanley - refuelling and support meant that each mission used 1,000,000 gallons of fuel.......

 

Other aircraft on display included jets, survey aircraft and fighters with access encouraged to many. The various buildings housed displays relating to the Battle of Britain, Bomber Command and the Dambusters as well as Britain's ultimately unsuccessful participation in a nuclear weapon system known as Bluestreak tested at Woomera in Australia.

 

A lovely drive took me through Dumfries and Galloway to one of the 7Stanes mountain centres at Dalbeattie where under the excellent Stay the Night scheme run by Forest Scotland self contained vans can overnight for £7. There were 3 other vans in the large parking area and on a sunny evening I took myself off to test the easy going blue and green runs. This then set me up for the more challenging red route on the Sunday morning which I had pretty much to myself. Over exuberance saw me part company with the bike on a rocky descent leading to a decent grazed knee but otherwise it was a good ride with stunning views.

Moving on to Glentrool I tackled the 36 mile loop that passed near enough Newton Stewart to be worth diverting for refreshments before continuing through stunning scenery to return via a section of the Southern Upland Way passing White Laggan Bothy. I fitted in the blue loop afterwards but as overnighting wasn't permitted I dropped down to Garliestown for a great night tucked away on a Britstop behind the Harbour Inn which did excellent food.  During WW2 the large bay had been used to test various designs of the Mulberry Harbours, whilst today a few fishing boats still operate from the dock. The CAMHC site wanted £38 a night had I decided to stay there - an outrageous amount so I was more than happy to dine well at the pub who also allowed me to fill up with water.

 

Pulling up at Kirroughtree where I planned to stay overnight I set up on the large car park and enjoyed the red trail that climbed high before swooping and swerving back to the centre. After a quiet night I followed the blue route before moving on to a small aire south of Dumfries having taken the longer but more scenic coast road through Kirkbean. This community supported initiative at Glencaple on the banks of the Nith was perfect with a stylish cafe next door and a good pub across the road. A few other vans were lined up for the sunset and it was another peaceful night.

 

Yet another of the Stanes lay at Mabie where a red route took me past a beautiful marble sculpture before following a mixture of tracks and trails through the forest and around the hills.

My final trail centre was at the Forest of Ae but as I headed out I noticed a loose bolt in the chainring and then that two more had fallen out already so with a fair few miles ahead of me decided to abort the ride and instead enjoy a quiet evening in the sun with yet again and surprisingly, no midges.

After a cracking five days and ten trails in warm sunny weather I headed back towards England stopping at Longtown where the Bikeseven cycle shop took great trouble to find me replacement bolts - these were in fact pedal studs which combined with a small spanner of the right size soon did the trick.

My destination was a small CS site near Appleby that provided nothing more than a quiet field, water and a septic tank - perfect at £5/night and very convenient for parking at Appleby later, from where the following morning I caught the train down to Skipton, enjoyed an hour in the town and then met Mandy who had travelled via Leeds from Sheffield. We jumped off at Appleby and took a walk round the town admiring the charming collection of almshouses that provide supervised housing for widows and spinsters and enjoyed tea and cake in a quiet courtyard gallery.

 

 

 

Near Kirkby Stephen we enjoyed a section of the Northern Viaducts Walk before arriving mid evening back at Dent where we planned to stay two nights as on the Sunday the Flying Scotsman was due to pass through twice.

Saturday saw us enjoy a superb 30 mile ride along the Pennine Bridleway starting with a climb up the old Coal Road before turning south, crossing Cam Fell, dropping down to Horton in Ribblesdale and then climbing up on to the lower reaches of Ingleborough with the remarkable and extensive limestone pavements. The weather and views were superb and although I had done the same route two years ago it was still well worth the revisit and we were grateful for refreshments at the cafe in Faizor before dropping down to Settle for the return train home.

On Sunday morning a few people gathered on the bridge and platforms but having befriended the holiday makers in the Station House we walked down to the currently unoccupied Snow Huts for a great view of the iconic loco as it curved round from the jaws of Blea Moor tunnel. We mved on to Garsdale Head Station for a different view from Dandrymire Viaduct - during our wait I had a nose round an abandoned caravan in the station overflow car park only to set the damn thing off towards the tracks. I jumped out and it stopped moving to my great relief. Slightly behind schedule the Scotsman appeared heading south with the carriages full of happy customers and we moved on in absolute deluge through Mallerstang and back to the small site at  Brampton.

 

Monday was a little overcast and damp so we caught the train up to Carlisle and enjoyed the town centre, cathedral with its stunning Alhambra inspired blue ceiling and then toured Carlisle Castle and its military museum. Steak, wine and a bit of Monday quiz night telly ended a good day and we slept soundly being the only occupants.

Tuesday was settled enough to get out on the bikes for 52 miles up to Melmerby along quiet lanes, back via Brougham castle and a pub at Langwathby and then a final leg to Brampton once more with the line of the Pennine Hills as a backdrop to the east and the Lakeland Fells to the west.

Wednesday as hoped and forecast dawned bright and sunny so we moved on to park at Kirkland where a route up on to Cross Fell, the highest point on the Pennine Way started. An old bridleway wound slowly up to the higher fells and we continued on down to Greg's Hut a bothy renovated only last year that used to be miners accommodation during the working week. The standard of the work was top class and the bothy felt sturdy and fit for another hundred years in the exposed location. After lunch we continued up on to the summit of Cross Fell before returning via the Hanging Gardens of Mark Anthony which we failed to discover on the ground.

 

A small site near Penrith gave us a night on power as the heavens opened but Thursday dawned bright and sunny tempting us to park at Pooley Bridge and catch the Ullswater steamer down to Glenridding where lunch on the terrace of the Inn on the Lake was a real treat in the warm sunshine. 

We found a quiet pub with camping behind near Wigton and on a damp Friday carried on to a rain and windswept Silloth where one of us sat and read whilst the other took a tour of the town's highlights. The RNLI shop opened at 1 and was staffed by 3 jolly ladies who were tickled pink that we spent a fair bit on fund raising items for future gifts.

Finally to complete a very varied and entertaining time away we returned to the friends at Penrith for a final night enjoying an excellent meal once more and a comfy night on their drive.

 

Returning to Sheffield via York for another sobering care home visit was a steady enough journey - we had spent the morning at the Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum which was an absolute gem. Home to a large collection of vintage excavators reached by a short ride on a steam train we were absorbed by the sight of various machines tearing at a large bank of earth and rock with the main showpiece being a nearly 100 year old steam powered Ruston and Bucyrus 306 excavator that had been restored to working order after 50 years under water in a Bedfordshire Quarry whose lime stone waters had prevented rusting. The boiler even passed its safety inspection to operate at 80 psi with almost no work. This and similar heritage projects visited recently such as the Lancaster,Vulcan and S-C line were all inspiringly maintained and run by dedicated volunteers with a generosity and passion that is often under reported in mainstream media. During my time away I was hugely saddened by news of the earthquakes in Morocco and floods in Libya so hope to return to the former early next year and do what I can to support those who have lost so much.

Piccies here ------- take care all.

BACKING BRITAIN

A tough 55 mile ride from Llangurrig down to Rhayader, round the Elan Valley, on to Cwmystwyth, past The Arch and a return via two bothies left me tired but exhilarated, especially as now all 3 bothies have been found to be in good order. It was lovely to be back in Sheffield later that week and I took time to sort out all my maps and travel guides that I had been lugging around, probably for the last time as many of the guides are out of date and the internet provides more relevant information. Similarly my SatMap 1:25,000 maps cover most places as well as various cycling and walking apps. One of the Satmap Battery packs fell apart which just leaves me the one and a pack that will take 3 AAs if necessary, such a shame the company went under as the device has been one of my best ever purchases for outdoor pursuits.

 Mandy's lad and his girlfriend were dropped at the station at the start of their trip to Colombia and Central America after which we departed for a few days away in Lincolnshire staying initially at Binbrook after looking round the rather delightful Brigg. Three Romanian construction workers were in a caravan on the CL but otherwise it was very quiet and they were a friendly lot due to return home soon so in good spirits. We cycled 53 miles the next day down to Louth for market day where I sourced some antihistamines after almost swallowing a wasp and developing a ludicrous 'trout pout'. Pushing on to the coast near Donna Nook we failed to see the attraction of staying in, let alone purchasing, one of the statics that sit densely packed in along the coast. A highlight of the ride was an old deconsecrated church where you could almost feel the history in its poignant remains.

Similar emotions came to the fore at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Museum at East Kirby where a team of dedicated and skilled restorers are working on a surviving Lancaster bomber. By chance it was due to taxi out around the airstrip twice that day and we were suitably impressed as the 4 Merlin engines fired up one by one before the immense airframe moved out on to the grass with a number of enthusiasts occupying the cockpit, gunnery positions and rear section. It was hugely impressive and whilst waiting for the second event after lunch we very much enjoyed the large number of displays relating to the history of the Lancaster, Bomber Command and of course the remarkable Dambusters story. Lunch in the NAAFI was another opportunity to support the restoration project after which we were again mesmerised by the sheer power and presence of 'Just Jane'.

The complex was a former military airfield and the various buildings held cameos and exhibitions relating to wartime life - perhaps the most moving relating to the fate of those shot down over enemy territory and assisted in safe passage by courageous locals who often experienced severe retribution for their actions. All in all it was a moving and fascinating place to visit with far too much there to be fully related here. We were also allowed to stay overnight in the peaceful grassy car park - hugely appreciated.

 

The following day we pulled in to the Lincoln P&R to catch the bus in to town and visit the stunning cathedral which had been closed on our last visit a few years ago. Whilst enjoying lunch in the courtyard cafe the Red Arrows shot past directly overhead - a great sight but too fast for photos.

Moving on we stayed in Dethick where the friends I met in Germany are based and met a mutual friend Barry who has just secured an Irish passport thus banishing his Brexit shenanigans once and for all. We were staying there to pick up some clothing ordered in at Bakewell and I also had a cunning plan up my sleeve. Warning Mandy that we mysteriously had to be outside The Chakra Lounge cafe for 11. 30, this was merely a ploy to prevent her realising that we were about to jump on the recently launched Peak Sightseer open topped bus that follows a one way figure of 8 circuit every half hour to Chatsworth, Baslow, Hassop and Ashford in the Water. For £6 a head you can jump on and off all day and the experience of travelling through the scenery high up and just missing the tree branches and tunnel arches is certainly one to go for. We stopped at Chatsworth for an hour but on our return to Bakewell forgot to signal the bus to stop so were quite happy to go round once more, this time on the top deck again but at the front under cover as the continuing poor summer was letting the side down again. The service is a credit to Stagecoach and Derbyshire County Council and I emailed them positive feedback, mentioning in particular the friendly drivers who seemed to be really enjoying the service.

Back in Sheffield a new Shurflo water pump was waiting - stupidly leaving the old one running for several hours in Czechia had done the leisure battery no good (replaced earlier) but I was aware that the old pump was running more noisily, less efficiently, was not holding the pressure and had a slight leak. Access to replace it meant removing all clothing etc. from the wardrobe, dismantling my free standing shelves and easing up the floor to gain access, being fully aware of how brittle 20 year old plastic has become. I took photos of the plumbing and electrical connections as I went but remarkably even after 20 years the replacement pump had identical water and power connections - and even the four mounting holes lined up. I had ordered a new in line pre strainer but was surprised at how little had accumulated in the old one after 20 years and in the 6 years of my ownership almost full time use with a shower every day. Screw fit connectors were soon in place, the wires attached and a test run confirmed that all was well with quieter running, no leaks and pressure maintained so the floor panel, shelves and contents could go back in. I left the old pump tucked away in a void as it would make a serviceable spare but I fully expect the new one to see me out!

 

Monday saw the delivery of new outside seating which we manoeuvred in to place on the balcony with the help of Lynn and Steve - it's a good job he's well over 6' tall whilst I packed up for another trip south including some bottles and kegs from Bradfield Brewery for a forthcoming BBQ.

We joined Penny, a colleague I trained with 45 years ago, and Yolande a contact from Portugal who had met Penny when we took Mum out there in 2014 after Dad's passing almost a decade ago now, for a good meal at Zara's in Crookes. Yolande like me has to contend with the new Sheffield Clean Air Zone and is loathe to scrap a perfectly good camper van (other than being a T5!) that is much newer than mine but still falls foul of the regs. To this end as Sheffield has inexplicably included the congestion reducing ring road in its zone I merely travel one junction futher up on the M1 and then drive through densely populated urban areas passing many schools, care homes and the local general hospital - what a ludicrous situation......

It appears that my friend in Portugal may have sold the campsite that has been my refuge for many Christmases over the last 15 years but that does give me other options for the forthcoming winter with Italy, Tunisia, Greece and Turkey looming large - watch this space. Anyway it was good to catch up and the following day I headed across rural Derbyshire via Buxton and then Stoke to catch up with my brother in Shropshire. We arranged to meet up on mountain bikes and I left for Brecon and another shambolic lumber around the badminton courts. Over at Sennybridge I joined Crad and Dawn with their son and his Czech fiancee for a good meal at their local - the farmer owned Shoemaker's Inn that has a new tennant landlord.It was good to see the happy couple and Leah was of course very familiar with places in her native country I had visited less than a month ago.

Up at Lower Chapel Jan and Ian were hosting the Hereford Caving Club 'Summer' BBQ so we spent Friday putting up a marquee, organising seating and planning the food. I also undertook a repair with fibreglass of the washroom toiletry cupboard as a leaking insect repellent had eaten right through the plastic floor, the repair is far stronger than the original and the fumes soon evaporated. Inclement weather caused a few issues re the marquee later that day but things eased off on the Saturday and we all enjoyed a memorable evening, due in no small part to Dan's ingenious 'cave jenga' that involved a steel IBC container frame and wooden poles that recreated the sorts of squeezes and bending that caving often requires. It was a brilliant evening so many thanks to Jan and Ian for all their hard work and hospitality. A mate from Frome was enjoying his new Wild Ax Pulsar - a definite consideration should I eventually have to change vehicles but as yet I have no intention of doing so and will adapt to the new regimes of CAZs, LEZs and the like.

On Sunday afternoon I cycled up to Moel Prysgau bothy for the first time in a year - clear felling across the river has changed things a bit for access from the 'top track' but at least a screen of Sitka spruce has been left to retain the bothy's seclusion. All was well there although with no bridge thanks to some idiots breaking and then burning it a while back the feet took a soaking.

After a quiet night in the hills I had planned to ride the Sustrans route from Tregaron to Aberystwyth but my brother rang asking to bring our planned ride forward by a day so we met at Nant Yr Arian Visitor Centre later that morning for a long overdue - 40 years - ride together on the Syfydrin Black run - 20 plus miles of mixed, remote, challenging but hugely rewarding Black level trail. We chatted to a guy in one hamlet who has almost finished rebuilding a shell of a cottage that I have been observing over the years, noticed a completely new and stylish new build and looked down on an old farmhouse that is also undergoing restoration with solar panels and what may well be a bunk house. Coffee and cake as the hundreds of red kites arrived for their daily feast of raw chicken saw us going our parting ways but not before I had a quick whizz on his emtb - very impressive but not for me yet as I still enjoy the buzz and the burn.

This changed for me the very next day as after a night at Glangwy campsite near Llangurrig I cycled over to the Hafren Forest, up the tracks towards the sources of the Wye and Severn and then encountered almost wintery conditions on the slopes of Plynlymmon as a I crossed to the Sweet Lamb motor racing circuit. Even the shepherds gathering sheep looked cheesed off as I shot down to the A44 and crossed over for a return to Nant Rhys bothy with the intention of locking all access gates. A long climb up to the hut had me drooling over power assistance but I will hold out for as long as poss. due to charging and weight considerations. The bothy had seen a visit from a fellow, and local, bothy stalwart whose regular visits combined with NRW's new padlocks and restricted key holders' policy seem to be keeping on top of bothy misuse.

Back at Glangwy I dealt with the loo, cleaned the washroom, washed most of the muck off the bike and prepared for an early start to Sheffield following morning. I had found out that the Calor depot at Worcester still had some 3.9kg Propane cylinders despite their unwelcome and unpopular withdrawal by Calor UK. As it was more or less en route to CAK tanks at Kenilworth I called in and had a good chat with the lad there - he reckons the company cannot make a profit on smaller cylinders but as they are a quarter of the price of the nearest equivalent Camping Gaz 907s they could change this by charging slightly more : Flogas seem able to supply an equivalent at a competitive price but have a short term cylinder shortage. In a corporate world where being green is foremost in company literature it again seems ludicrous that the withdrawn Calor cylinders will be scrapped whilst Flogas commission thousands of new almost identical cylinders, surely a safety check and a respray would be better all round. Anyway with luck I now have enough to see me through Autumn after which I will be back on CG for my winter trips.

At CAK I wanted a Thetford Freshen Up kit to give me a new loo seat as the old one has split - they should strengthen their design and I will use the remainder of the fibreglass kit to do just that. The spare cassette can sit quietly in store but the yellow cap has gone in the van as a spare as they are so easily lost down a poorly designed disposal point. I also picked up a new fresh water inlet point and a length of pipe before heading up to Sheffield and an empty house as Mandy is on an unexpected cycling holiday in Mull. 

Thus today I replaced the old fresh water inlet and leaking filling pipe - this plus a small overflow tube and the washroom sink waste pipe all exit the van through a tight space near the rear swing arm. It took some ingenuity and a hairdryer for heat to ease out the old pipes and replace the new plus a section of rigid waste pipe to join the new filler pipe to the existing run to the tank but eventually all was done and that concludes a long list of minor repairs and tweaks that with luck will set me up for Autumn in the UK and another longish trip through winter and in to 2024.

Before then there  is much to look forward to as I head to Dumfries and Galloway next week, then down to Wales and Devon for house sits via a meet up on the Mendips before our trip to Lundy in October. November sees MOTs and the traditional Langdale break before I head south.

Further pics here.....

 

Czech Republic and Home

Heading away from Brno with the weather still very hot I stopped at Mikulov with its impressive castle overlooking the town which was built in the 13th Century, used as a store for hoarded art objects by the Nazis and burnt down at the end of WW2 but rebuilt in the 1950's.

 I took one of the tour options (Czech language only) which gave us access to some of the more private rooms and the chapel before passing through Slavonice close to the Austrian border with its two squares containing many fine examples of Rennaissance architecture. Further west at Telc I stopped at a small site and bar next to a lake within easy walking distance of the centre. Here the large castle was closed for renovations but you could still ascend the nearby Black Tower passing the bells and supporting timbers for a good view over the centre and across the many ponds that surround the town. Whilst walking through the old centre sirens could be heard and a number of fire appliances arrived outside the castle but were unable to pass through the narrow gates. Miles of hose pipes were unfurled and an ancient tender eventually turned up carrying several crew that was able to pass through and deal with the incident - all very Camberwick Green. Back at the site I enjoyed a beer and an excellent steak grilled on the outdoor BBQ before a quiet but warm night. Before leaving the following day I walked over to the small motor museum which had ancient Skodas, various Rolls Royces and a range of other vehicles plus a surprisingly extensive collection of old prams alongside household artefacts going back over the decades.

 

Cesky Krumlov on the Vitava River was well worth a visit although the campsite on the river bank north of the town was very busy as it is a staging post or end point for the many rafting businesses on the river. A large covered area provided beer and grilled food and minibus and trailer combos were returning rafts and rafters constantly. I walked in to town where the Vitava follows numerous tight meanders with various weirs and sluices offering paddlers an exciting experience beneath the castle walls. I stopped to watch various groups pass through before exploring the streets and alleys of the Old Town.

 

 

Ceske Budejovice provided a much quieter place to stay with basic camping on a sports field by the river with a cycle track in to town. A music festival was underway in the centre on the opposite bank but I enjoyed cycling round the largely traffic free cobbled centre before choosing a riverside cafe for pizza and beer. The impressive town hall dominated the square (one of Europe's largest) which featured a range of fine buildings and some lovely floral displays after which I returned to the field and had a quiet beer in the clubhouse bar.

 

 

 Heading north through Bohemia I arrived at Karlstejn which has a remarkable castle perched high above the village and river. The site sandwiched between the river, a road and a railway was again busy but I found a spot and walked back to the village passing a lovely old T2 VW van sadly rotting away under a tree. The steep walk up to the castle reached the outer walls and then an inner courtyard from where a choice of tours began. I took one with an English audio guide that allowed me to appreciate the splendour of the various rooms and chambers we passed through whilst from terraces and courtyards we could enjoy views over the village and surrounding countryside.

 

Whilst walking back I detoured across to the railway station to check out the trains in to Prague before returning to the site where every last space had been filled, and more. Early next morning I was away for the 40 minute journey in to Prague and spent the day in the city which for a few hours after I arrived was reasonably quiet. I walked up to the huge castle for the views and then crossed the famous King Charles Bridge where buskers and caricature artists were gearing up for the increasing throng. Cities are not really my thing and I hadn't planned to visit this one but it was worth the effort and I caught a late afternoon train back glad to have made the effort.

 

A Czech family's large garden provided a small but pleasant site at Kutna Hora a couple of miles outside the town, easily reached by bike, which allowed me to visit the stunning Gothic St. Barbara's Cathedral with its magnificent central nave, vaulted ceilings and external flying buttresses. From there I stopped at the Italian Court whose terraces gave good views back up to the Cathedral and stopped again during my return at the Sedlec ossuary with it's macabre collection of bones and skulls many used to line the vaulted ceiling and form a bizarre central chandelier - unfortunately photography was not permitted.

Hradec Kralove was worth a stop whilst heading north with its large square reached through a long stone tunnel beneath the White Tower. Another beautiful array of old buildings with colourful facades surrounded the large square with a quirky clock whose small hand pointed to the minutes, whilst the large did the hours.

Hard up against the Polish border the Ardspach Teplice Rocks were a remarkable jumble of sandstone pillars and towers with gorges and the odd lake extending over many square miles - it was again busy and entrance was by timed admission with parking needing to be reserved in advance online as well and a rip off at £20 for a camper. Bizarrely half a mile up the road camping with EHU was only £15 a night via an honesty box so I parked up and walked back to the entrance to reserve a ticket for 9 the following morning. 

 

Thus I was away early ahead of most people and had the impressive stones largely to myself before following the Wolf's Gorge for a couple of hours down to Teplice and taking the ten minute train journey back to the start point - all in all well worth doing - if you beat the crowds.

Beneath the twin keeps of Trosky Castle Michael runs a cracking little site in a wooded valley and provided a map with a selection of walking and cycling routes which combined with my SatMap enabled me to pass through another (and much quieter) area of sandstone pillars and gorges before the steep climb up to the castle for the chance to climb both towers, admire the views and enjoy a pork schnitzel, chips and a beer before the ride home. That night there was a spectacular thunderstorm and heavy rain which heralded a change in the weather for the next fortnight or so.

 

On considering my options I decided that after 10 months away and with the fridge and water heater requiring attention it was time to head west. My leisure battery was also showing signs of failure, probably due to ite being run low when I stupidly left the switch on allowing the water pump to kick in but as there was an airlock it just ran for several hours so I booked a ferry from Dunkirk for 3 days hence and crossed in to Germany later that day.

By chance friends from Derbyshire were nearby and we arranged to meet up for me to have a good look over their new Dreamer van. We met in a park up in the woods only to find they had their second puncture in a week so we set to to change the wheel in a steady drizzle. These are heavy old vans so it was a bit nerve wracking raising it with the scissor jack but before long we were sorted and then educating ourselves in the peculiarities of the Ducato spare wheel mounting system. After a good evening's catch up we drove in to the nearby town where a garage said the repair would be ready after lunch giving us time to catch up further over coffee and cake before going our separate ways.

Half way across Germany I tucked away in woodland before crossing in to Belgium the following day in heavy rain which seemed to vindicate my decision. 90 minutes short of Dunkirk I stopped overnight in a French village observing how much more supportive France is of van dwellers. The local Leclerc supermarket was the most well stocked retail outlet I'd seen since Caceres in January. With a reasonable command of French it was nice to eat out in the local cafe and understand more or less everything that was said, the tricky languages of the last 6 weeks have been quite trying at times.

 

I arrived at Dunkirk with a few hours to spare and was bumped on to the midday sailing instead for no extra charge which was great. Two hours later we arrived beneath the grey cliffs of Dover and after some expected delays on the rain sodden M25 I was barreling along the M4 to Wales where I parked up in an old haunt in Brecon.

This last week has been busy and productive - the fridge flue was dismantled, cleaned and reassembled with new insulation so all works fine now - a good jet of air blew out the inlet and outlet flues of the Truma water heater and that is also fine whilst a new leisure battery was delivered to Sennybridge followed eventually by the required terminal adapters so all is well on that front. I chased up annual blood tests for myself and booked the van in for a small area of rust to be seen to in September as well as ordering a new bike cover.

Now the van is more than 20 years old UK/EU breakdown cover is perhaps understandably proving hard to secure so I may well be just even more proactive on pre departure maintenance so to this end will be changing all discs and pads, the ancillary belt and all filters in the Autumn. I will also have a new starter motor fitted as I think this one is the original but will then keep it on board as a spare, as I have done with an alternator.

I caught up with friends in Brecon as well with a good badminton session and went to the cinema to see the new Mission Impossible film - a confusing plot line and reworked tricks were at least saved by some impressive stunts and memory inducing scenes in Venice.

So I head north after this weekend with lots to look forward to including house sits in Brecon and Lynton, a stay on Lundy Island and the annual visit to the Lake District. I expect to be away again by Christmas but my destination is at present uncertain.

Yesterday I walked in to our bothy above the Elan Valley and was pleased to find everything in good order - it is a decade since the project was completed and given the location and weather the sturdy building has withstood the test of time.

 

 A couple of nights off grid at the peaceful Glangwy campsite outside Llangurig are a chance to rest and reflect plus test the capabilities of the new battery and after a day of heavy rain with luck I'll be out on the bike to two more nearby bothies in better weather tomorrow. 

Pics as ever here......

Slovensky Czechia .......

Heading south I stopped for the night at a small campsite near a lake which was busy but not full (the site that is) and had a good bar and decent enough wifi to update the blog whilst downing a beer or two. A local band played some Slovakian versions of pop classics as families barbecued but it was all quiet by 11.

 

I stopped at Banska Stiavnica, a former mining town and UNESCO WH site with its fine old buildings, two castles - the Old and New but both old and enjoyed a coffee and cake at a newly opened bar that was elegantly decorated inside and out. Just below it an area was cordoned off after a disastrous fire back in March that had destroyed half a dozen of the town's finer buildings. Restoration was underway but many precious works of art, museum pieces and antique books had been lost.

 

 

Arriving at a large but outdated campsite north of Bratislava in the suburb of Zlaty Pieski I pitched up as far under the trees as possible as the temperatures across Central and Southern Europe were staying very high. A short walk over to the tram terminus and a twenty minute journey put me in the centre and I walked down to the river and out to the impressive bridge that is supported primarily from one end by the 'UFO Tower' built in the 70s as a display of Soviet engineering. Apparently the circular restaurant at the top was supposed to be a revolving one but they were unable to access the Western technology to achieve this. It acts as an excellent observation platform after taking the lift up and I could see beyond Bratislava's old centre to the new skyscrapers of the business district to the east and the impressive Red Stone Castle to the west (which shone a brilliant white.....) After checking out a number of lovely churches and old buildings I caught the tram back up to the site which had filled up considerably. A friend from Swansea who is a bothy maintenance stalwart was from the city and used to swim in the local lake almost 40 years ago, which was also the scene of a fatal aircrash.

 

My intention to visit Trencin Castle was thwarted by yet another infuriating park by App or SMS system that refused to work but as I had stopped at the smaller but very impressive Beckov Castle I wasn't too bothered.

 

Thus I was over in to the Czech Republic and originally considered staying at a park-up out in the hills but it was on the junction of a couple of local roads and I doubted it would be particularly peaceful. Thus an aire in Uherse Hradiske caught my attention with the promise of free hook up but when I arrived none of the four outlets were working and a few locally owned Czech vans were occupying most of the spaces, however I could squeeze in and walked across to the supermarket and ATM as the Czech currency is still the Crown despite an intention to join the Euro over a decade ago. I was perhaps still mindful of the Hungarian forint arithmetic when it came to conversions and inadvertently took out £700 instead of £70 which to be honest I'm surprised my bank even let me do.......few machines elsewhere would allow you to withdraw that much. Anyway fortunately I have sufficient funds for it not to matter and it will act as an incentive to stay longer than planned!

The city of Olomouc was easily reached on foot from the campsite north of the centre and I enjoyed another old central zone with open squares including the main Trinity Square in front of the Town Hall that has a fascinating astronomical clock on one wall. I also walked out to the St Wenceslas cathedral passing through an arty tunnel before coffee and cake in the shade to energise me for the walk back. 

 

 

The UNESCO listed Archbishop's Palace at Kromeriz is surrounded by very pleasant parklands that I walked round keeping in the shade before heading south again to the Punkva Caves complex just north east of Blansko. It took some working out but basically by parking for the Macocha gorge which was an impressively large canyon lined with greenery you then walked a mile or so down to the Punkva entrance for a timed visit with a guide. Arriving early gave me time to enjoy the small museum, a Czech beer and a snack before we headed in to the system. Whilst not on the scale or grandeur of Skocjan back in Slovenia it was still a good visit which eventually emerged at the bottom of the gorge I had peered in to earlier. From there after more caverns and passages we all jumped in to flat bottomed battery powered skiffs that took us along a flooded section with a stop to look at a beautifully decorated chamber before finally emerging in to daylight. Then a cable car returned us to the top car park to cap off a very enjoyable experience.

Visiting Brno, Czechia's second largest city, yesterday was another interesting combination of transport options. I was staying at a lovely Dutch run site at Veverska Bityska at the top end of the valley flooded to provide drinking water for Brno and had spent the first evening chatting to Phillip, a Czech guy with a T4 who was very interested in my set up and lifestyle - he has a wife and young son and wants to live a simpler and more sustainable life in a hut he owns in wooded hills in the north of the country. The reception provided details of how to get down to the far end of the lake by boat and then hop on a tram to the city centre so at 9.30 am I was waiting by a slow moving, greenish coloured river when a lovely old fashioned vessel turned up for those of us on the bank. For a very reasonable £8 return we enjoyed a serene journey along a valley which opened up to become a large lake with numerous beaches, swimming spots and paddleboarders. Our vessel was electric so slid smoothly alongside various jetties for others to join or leave before reaching the dam wall. A short walk away I joined the tram in to town that seemed to operate a tap'n' go system for fares using my bank card although a couple I had met on the boat said they had tried to do the same, come unstuck and been hit with a hefty fine. For me as a change to the usual castles and fine buildings Brno had 3 varied underground attractions. The ossuary in a catacomb beneath St Jacob's Church once contained the bones of 50,000 deceased from many hundreds of years ago when cremations were not seen as acceptable. Many remains were later reinterred elsewhere but the collection remaining provided a poignant sight in the cool dark crypt. After an unusually decadent (for me) KFC mainly to get some wifi, unlimited drink top ups and use the loo I then climbed the tower of the old Town hall for a good overview of the city and some useful breeze as it was still hot. Dropping down to the large outdoor Krautmarkt or cabbage market, which of course sold far more than just cabbages, I then joined up for the tour of the extensive cellars that fan out from beneath the market place under adjacent buildings and were used for storage of everything from wines to vegetables, cheeses, grains and even prisoners.

 

 After climbing up to Spilberk Castle for more panoramic views and a jar of the excellent Urquell lager I then took my final excursion underground in to the 10-z nuclear fall out shelter which lies inside the castle's hill. It was an eerie experience and took me back to last summer's visit to a former Soviet nuclear missile silo in the Baltics - mankind is capable of acheiving so much looking back at the history of all the places I have been to in recent weeks and yet seems capable of putting it all at irreversible risk. For centuries Eastern Europe has seen wars and invasions with huge changes in the powers that be creating a complex historical web that prior to this trip I was only vaguley aware of. The stability of the EU may harbour well for the future but I am also acutely aware that Britain's narrow minded and pointless exit from Europe is impacting negatively on our country, those who would wish to live, work and study for a time there and the likes of yours truly who like to get away. To this end I have about a month left of this 9 month trip and will be heading across Germany by the end of July.

A tram back to the lake followed by an hour's gliding across still waters passing Veveri Castle, which I plan on cycling down to shortly, returned me to the site which was now full. I'd met Jay and Carol from amongst other places Sydney, Ireland and Berlin who are just embarking on an extended tour of Europe in a brand new VW Grand California van based on the Crafter. They have a loose itinerary so we chatted about various options and I hope to get a closer look at the impressive vehicle later.

Anyway a few hours in the shade bringing this up to date has also enabled me to do some laundry, have a clean out, deal with the loo which has gone a useful 3 weeks without needing emptying and checked my gas bottles - I am less than half way through the last Moroccan cylinder as the fridge has not been used on gas, I'm mostly enjoying salads for meals and the hot weather has meant that less gas has been needed to enjoy a shower. I have been using mostly sites and taken EHU occasionally which gives me hot water and a cold fridge for a further 48 hours so everything is fine for my last few weeks.

Pics as always by clicking this link.

Borders, borders and more borders........

After leaving Zagreb I headed north and east for a couple of hours before finding a quiet place by a fishing lake to spend the night - to avoid the Hungarian motorway tolls which require an e-vignette the sat nav had taken me briefly through Austria. I had tried to get the vignette but the App didn't recognise my UK registration number but I bet the monitoring cameras would have done if I had transgressed. Similarly on a visit south of Gyor to the remarkable Pannonhalma Abbey high on a hill top the parking app wouldn't accept it either and as I had no small change I had to move on. An ATM had happily dispensed 100,000 forints - about £230 so working out what things actually cost is a bit mind numbing!

Anyway at a supermarket I did a few repeated small shops offering up the largest notes and so soon accumulated some small change although for 2 and 1 forints the tills don't give it out even though it's on the receipt...

I had crossed back in to Hungary from Austria and in Gyor spotted a car parts store so went in to buy 5l of engine oil before stopping at a Kwik Fit (of all places) to see if they could do me an oil and filter change. The guy was very helpful but said his workshop wasn't high enough, however he happily pointed me in the direction of another workshop not too far away and as I had the correct filter with me they had the job done and dusted within the hour for a very reasonable £30.  Passing through the Buda Hills north of Budapest I found a quiet forestry picnic area to spend the night before dropping down to Budapest to stay on the Ave Natura campsite, near the city but pleasantly situated in a shady valley. The owner was a very friendly and switched on guy with good English who placed me on a level pitch and explained the local bus service in to the capital, including providing two tickets.

Thus I was soon on my way down to the Danube, across the bridge and walking round towards the parliament buildings. I enjoyed a couple of hours exploring and had lunch in the centre that comes alive at night. There were some beautiful buildings and I even took a spin on the ferris wheel for some far reaching views but to be honest it was all rather too busy and in places seedy for me so after crossing over the river and walking back up on the Buda side with good views across the river I caught the bus back to the site.

 

The various sites of the Danube bend, on Europe's second longest river, started with an unexpected ferry crossing to Vac - I left the van on the west side and enjoyed the short hop to an attractive town with more fine buildings including a spectacular cathedral. Built in to the walls a small cafe was serving fish and chips by the river which was delicious before the ferry took me back over to the van.

Further up the valley the impressive castle of Visegrad towered over the river and was well worth the visit with remarkable views, a number of sections to the castle and some impressive displays of how life might have been. 

The huge basilica at Esztergom was undergoing refurbishment but you could still have a look round the cavernous interior and enjoy the views over the Danube.

That evening I tucked away by a fishing lake and had a chat with a guy who offered me a nip of some local home brewed hooch - it was strong but nice enough and he was very friendly with good English having worked in various parts of the UK. It was a very peaceful night but I was away early to the village of Holloko that preserves the traditional rural buildings of a very attractive area. Again the parking machine wouldn't accept even coins but I could pay in the information centre this time.

Down at Gyongyos the narrow gauge railway that climbed in to the forested hills was closed for a signalling upgrade so I headed up in to the hills anyway finding a quiet spot just off the road in the Buk National Park. Next day down at Lillafured I parked up to join another narrow gauge railway that rolled down to Miskolc through lovely scenery - it had been constructed to extract timber from the surrounding forests and the loco had a chainsaw tucked away in case of unforseen events on the line. After a quick ice cream I was back up to Lillafured where a grand hotel looks out over a reservoir.

Moving on to Tokaj an important centre of the Hungarian wine industry I found a lovely place to park up right on the river with good views across to the castle. There was a group of canoe campers set up on the opposite bank and a party for the local youths at the boat club but it was a quiet night after the event ended. Tokaj has a number of cellars tunnelled in to the rocks and provided a place for a lunch out in the sunny square.

For the weekend I headed over in to Slovakia having used the last of my forints to fill the tank and get some food in - it's not a currency to hang on to as I have seen all that I wished to in Hungary as much of the country is a huge flat plain. In the very north east of the country I found a superb little site in the Poloniny NP at Ulike Sedova, hard up against the Polish and Ukrainian borders. The friendly owner turned up later on, charged £12/night with hook up and shower key and pointed out the barrel of beer running on an honesty box basis and at only £1.50 a pint. There was only one other couple staying and I enjoyed an afternoon in the sun before a quiet and slightly woozy night. Next day I set off on a six hour walk that took me up to a pillar marking the junction of all 3 national boundaries - a very sobering place in the light of events on the other side of Ukraine although in fact Lviv only a hundred miles away had been bombed days earlier. The countryside was the same in all directions - gently rolling wooded hills and it felt the same as the wooded borders of the Baltic states with Belarus and Russia last summer.

 

Back at the site an Australian guy on a motorbike had arrived - Tod was from Perth and had shipped his bike to the UK for a 3 month tour of Europe. He had a pretty unforgiving schedule having already reached the Nordkapp and had crossed the whole of Poland that day. His onward route was through to Turkey and a couple of years ago he had crossed Russia and Mongolia from Vladivostock to St Petersburg. Anyway we swopped stories over a beer or two but he was away first thing next morning as I enjoyed a rare lie in.

Heading south I stopped to admire a few of the old timber built churches that are common in the Slovakian/Polish border region - the history of this region is very complex with national boundaries constantly evolving and even new countries emerging so I guess stability in religion and the simple permanence of field and forest provided the communities with some reassurances. Again I had felt this in the Baltics where rural life continued with very little change for centuries.

Bardejov had a fine collection of old buildings around its spacious square and a brass band were filling the streets with a medley of tunes from the balcony of the town hall. A secluded spot beneath the ruins of Palec castle provided a quiet place for the night with just a French lady on her own in another van tucked away. Restoration work seemed to be underway but with only one guy facing a huge task it seemed likely to be a job for life.

Further renovation work was underway at the mighty Spis Castle but on a far grander scale so whilst there was access to the huge outer enclosure the dramatic castle itself was out of bounds. Nearby a small village situated round a Catholic church and monastery was well worth a visit.

 

The small Pieniny NP protects a limestone gorge that marks the Slovakian/Polish border and is a popular rafting location so the village is full of hire companies who then run you back in a minibus and trailer - perhaps not a very environmentally sound arrangement as the 5 mile raft trip then requires a 30 mile round trip for each bus. Normally you can walk or cycle back up the gorge and I had intended to cycle it each way but it was closed for repairs to the trail following the floods a couple of months ago so I just enjoyed a ride over the footbridge in to Poland and round a few villages. I stopped at a small campsite which was busy but not full and later that evening enjoyed a remarkably intense thunderstorm with impressive lightning stikes for several hours. The German van next door lowered their satellite dish and unplugged their hook up in case of power surges but as I had neither to worry about I just enjoyed the spectacle. Moving on I arrived at the Slovensky Raj NP and stayed on a large open site that was very convenient for this popular area known as Slovakian Heaven. Numerous walking and cycling trails pass through the limestone area with gorges dissecting the plateau in various places.I decided to ride up to the plateau heading south and then head back over a total of 30 odd miles that began with an hour's steep climbing up a rough track. Then a traverse of the plateau through forest and woodland before a long steady descent back to the van through some tiny hamlets. 

 

 Early next day I was away by 8 to walk the Sucha Bella gorge which gets very popular later in the day. After paying the small admission fee I set off up the gorge following a number of log bridges, steel steps and aluminium ladders for a couple of hours with it mostly to myself - at busy times the waiting would be beyond tedious. Finally emerging on the track I had ridden the day before I noticed that there were bikes to be hired for the return trip - good value at a fiver a time but I was surprised they didn't provide helmets as in places the track was rough, steep and loose. Anyway I walked down and then packed up as the temperatures rose and headed west to remarkable Orava Castle situated high above the village on a narrow ridge. The self guided tour was excellent giving access to all the various levels and rooms - the timber roofing was remarkable with superb craftsmanship on every detail - shaped shingles even forming the ridge coverings.

 

 After a quiet night on a quiet site at Vavin in the Mala Fatra NP having enjoyed views of the towering peaks of the Tatras mountains I moved on stopping briefly at a folk village (Cicmany) with beautifully preserved houses decked out with flowers and well tended gardens. I tried to use the parking app without success but took a chance and looked round anyway. I took a screen shot of the failed SMS messages in case by some remote chance a fine arrives back in Wales one day before moving on to Bojnice castle which had been rebuilt to reflect those of the Loire Valley and reminded me of the Disneyesque structure back in Morocco. A guided tour (in Slovakian only) was required to visit one area but otherwise it was self guided again and I enjoyed the cool rooms on a hot sunny day.

 

I am now heading to the capital Bratislava before crossing in to the Czech Republic for a couple of weeks then it's time in Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium before my return home in 4 or 5 weeks.

 

 

Usual pics here.