Camping: Newborough, Anglesey, Llanddwyn Island - 7th - 9th September

It was with much excitement (super weather forecast) and much sadness (last camping trip of the year) that we set off for Anglesey on the Friday evening. The Journey was pretty uneventful apart from getting caught in a load of traffic around Queensferry.

We got to White Lodge Caravan Park and were directed to our pitch. It turned out we had one of the allotted ones for a tourer though as the camping field was full, it wasn’t any bother though and we got the tent and everything set up in just under an hour, inclusive of our new tent carpet (ah, the luxury!).

We munched on a supper of tomato soup and mature cheddar sandwiches before polishing off a bottle of wine and bedding down for the night as we knew we’d be up early.

The next morning we wolfed down an eggy breakfast and packed up a lunch to take with us on the walk we’d found via the BBC to Llanddwyn Island (link to their pdf here). The campsite wasn’t far out of Newborough where the walk began so we headed off in the general direction of the town to get on our way. The sun was dancing through the clouds and it wasn’t too hot, and being 9am it was really nice and quiet on the roads. We set off early due to the tide times, wanting to get a decent stretch of time on the Island itself.

We walked through the village and down to the forest, through the tall trees and made our way to the coastline. It was a lovely surprise at walking over a sand dune to find the most beautiful stretch of beach with Llanddwyn Island at the far right of us.

 

Spot the Ecologist. 

We walked along the beach and watched the waves roll out, down to the Island, crossed over onto it and wandered about the various coves and hills leading to the lighthouse and cottages at the end of the Island.

I took far too many pictures as the island is so beautiful and best of all we pretty much got it to ourselves, it was only when we started wandering back that we saw more and more people arriving and we were happy that we’d had a good few hours in relative peace.

Full set of photos in my camping album on flickr, which can be found here.

We stopped for our lunch in the forest at a little picnic spot that was deserted, most people heading for the beach in such glorious weather but not for us as eating sandwiches covered with sand is not my idea of ideal. Sandwiches, chocolate and squash consumed we headed back for the campsite. It was only when we arrived back we realised we’d been walking for five hours. I can’t recommend this walk enough though, it was absolutely beautiful and not too much of a stretch if, like me, you’re not the fittest of folk!

We spent some time cleaning the tent when we got back, and has showers (shower facilities really good, even though they’re places at the back of the kitchens…I can see the appeal in the winter when the weather’s cold though!) and then went to the restaurant for a couple of ales and then some dinner.

The food was beautiful and we had a full three courses, knowing it was the last camping trip for 2012 we though we deserved a little treat.

The service was great but, and I know this is somewhat a matter of taste, we really didn’t need to be asked every few minutes if everything was okay. One check back per course is fine. I know they were quiet but it was a little bothersome and we just wanted to relax and have a natter and not be interrupted every few minutes.

We retired to the tent, pooped after our day of walking and we were soon tucked up in bed listening to our audio books and feeling content.

It was a lovely end to a beautiful, sunny weekend. We’ll definitely be going back to Anglesey in the future, it’s gorgeous and great for a not too far away but far enough away camping trip for the weekend. 

Camping: Bents Camping Barn, 3rd - 5th August 2012

We went to Bents Camping Barn for our friend Graham's surprise birthday party. We opted not to stay in the barn, I'm a really light sleeper and sharing a dorm didn't appeal to me, so we took our tent and set up camp close to the barn.

It was a lovely weekend, the weather stayed nice and we were only a few miles from where we'd stayed previously in Ravenstonedale so we managed to get to Kirby Stephen and have a chippy tea on the first night while we were waiting for Graham to show up.

It was a great first night, with drinks, merriment and the super birthday cake we made for Graham's present.

 

We went into Carlisle on the Saturday to see The Dark Knight Rises (my review here) as Tim's walking shoes were in need of fixing and we weren't up for a massive walk while he was in his trainers (and we wanted to go and see Batman!).

It was a lovely spot of countryside to be in, even if we were hassled by the sheep in the field!

Camping - 20th - 22nd July 2012 - Shell Island

It was with some trepidation that I booked Shell Island for our annual girls only camping trip. I had been told it was full of scallies, I had been told it was noisy as hell, but recently my friends had been and they had the most brilliant time, which somewhat made me happier when it came nearer to the day of departure.

The don't like taking single sex groups, so we had to send them our dates of birth so they knew we weren't a load of 18 year old party animals (those days are long gone for me).

We arrived and the weather was glorious, the folks at reception were friendly enough, it took us about an hour to get everyone set up in their respective tents, then it was on with the barbecue then down to the beach to watch the sun set.

This ended is disaster for Bella, who while having fun with her pup Barney, tripped over a rock and went full throttle into the sea.

Then to our delight we saw dolphins in the bay, swimming separately, then side by side. It was a lovely moment and something I'll always remember (I think everyone else may remember me spoiling the moment by saying this and such other things, as wow! this is amazing! etc etc for the whole time it as happening!)

We spent most of the following day on the beach and then in the pub, talking about lots of stuff boys would blush at. I then built the best campfire in the world ever.

Then it was time to pack up and go home.

Shell Island: Done. It was lovely weather and I was with great company, the campsite is clean, not too noisy (especially considering we got there at the beginning of the school summer holidays) and the surroundings are beautiful.

The Black Swan Hotel - Ravenstonedale - 6th July

With the weather crappy we decided on going home a day early so for our last day we needed some indoor activities, so off we went to the Vue cinema in Carlisle to see The Amazing Spiderman (review is here).

I wore my Shrek 3D glasses and ate much popcorn.

We decided, as it was out last night, to go for a meal in the local village to our campsite, Ravenstondale. We opted for The Black Swan Hotel. It was recommended by Rosie and we were warned we would have to book in advance, we thought we'd take our chances at 6pm. 

We arrived and were told that there was room in the Lounge area so we took our seats and perused the menu (with Tim pretending to be a stag in between). It's a beautiful hotel, the staff are friendly and attentive and the place was soon buzzing with guests, a large part of which appeared to consist of an American National Geographic tour group, who were pleasant enough. 

We started with olives to share £2.95. My only problem being, not enough green olives, yet this is always the way when you order olives in restaurants, I know the green ones are more expensive but a 50/50 split would be nice.

 

For a starters:

I had Thornby Moor goats cheese stumpy which was delicious, the balsamic onion topping it off perfctly. £5.95

 

Tim had crab, peppadew and spring onion croquette, which I had a sneaky bit of and it was lovely, I'm not too fond of crab but this wasn't too bothersome for me. £5.95

 

Mains time!

I went for the beef, sliton and green peppercorn pie. I don't think I've tasted a pie quite like it, the stilton wasn't too heavy being melted just under crust, the beef was cooked to perfection and it came with peas (did I tell you how much I love peas?!) £11.95

 

Tim had the rather gorgeous looking pan fried lemon and black pepper bass fillet. I did have a sneaky mouthful and it was a melt in the mouth moment. Very yummy with the chive risotto setting it off a treat. £13.95

 

Then Tim's ears did that super cute thing the do when he eats too much, they go all red. Adorable! 

 

After a half an hour break it was time to tackle the pudding list (I know, I know, filling our faces as we were, but the last day of the holiday is a special one!). 

I opted for the almond bread and butter pudding with custard. Bread and butter pudding is one of my favourite deserts and I wasn't at all let down with this glorious pudding £4.50

 

Tim went for the gooseberry sponge with ice-cream which was again delicious. £4.50

All deserts are made on site at he black swan and aren't bought in like a lot of places offering home cooked food will tell you (trust me, I used to assistant chef in a pub many moons ago). 

It was a great experience dining in this lovely hotel, the atmosphere was very relaxed and the surroundings beautiful and comfy. Throughout the meal we were asked if everything was okay, asked if we required further drinks etc, even when the place was packed we were still attended to. It is no surprise that the restaurant, lounge and bar get fully booked every evening of the weekend.

I'd love to go back and stay in the hotel at some point, hopefully something we will do in the future.