Weekend walks: Hadrian's Wall and High Force.

A wonderful place to be.
A Walker.

Taken from an inscription on a sculpture along the walk at High Force.

What a lovely pair of boots

The August Bank Holiday weekend was a dream. Not strictly travelling in the true ('staying over') sense but worth an entry on here nonetheless. Prompted by the purchase of a pair of lovely new boots, and following some gentle arm twisting (no names mentioned, Marie), a car full of (mainly urban) north eastern ladies headed west for a ramble along Hadrian's Wall on a fine Saturday afternoon.

Marie, Amanda and Kathryn at Steel Rig

We started our walk from the Steel Rig car park (if you're planning a jaunt yourself, bring change, it's £4 for the day) and with the generous planning of Ms Drago we did a six and a half mile loop around the wall. For novice walkers, like ourselves, this route allowed for the perfect chat to ramble ratio. It wasn't too taxing but we did feel like we'd been on adventure. Mainly because we did a lot of climbing (up and down), had contrasting changes of scenery (rock face, lake, farm land, open fields and woodland), experienced all four seasons in a matter of hours and did some genuine team work. Two quite specific memories capture the day perfectly, both of them demonstrating our (most excellent) team work; KG's courageous battle with a bog (sadly, she failed, evidence below) and coming head to head with A LOT of angry cows and (at least) one bull, all of whom really didn't want us treading on their patch, which happened to be right in front of the gateway back to the car park.

Kathryn's bravery

The route included the filming location for Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Sadly we forgot to take a picture of the famous dip with the tree (which you can see beautifully photographed here).

Hadrian's Wall

In a handful of hours we collectively experienced genuine moments of fear, comradery and proper belly laughter (the type that brings real tears).  When it comes to hanging out with the lasses, there's certainly still a place for coffee shop catch ups and girly cocktail evenings but the leisure-hike is definitely my new favourite thing.

Hadrian's Wall

Bitten by the need to be outdoors again before we settle in for 6 months of rubbish weather, Monday afternoon saw me and Mr D lacing up our boots and heading towards England's largest waterfall, in Teesdale, High Force.

High Force admission tickets

Although we live so close and have driven by this famous waterfall before, this was our first visit. Parking here is easy as there's an official car park, handily next to a pub, just over the road from the waterfall walk. (If you're planning a visit here, remember to bring change. The car park was £2 per car and admission to the waterfall walk is £1.50 per adult. Opening times vary depending on the time of year, so best to check before setting off.)

High Force from the Waterfall walk.

We walked down to High Force first to take in the fall from a distance, it's pretty impressive (and a bit slippy). Then we headed back up to the car park and set off on one of the wee ramble routes suggested at the car park.

The map routes in the car park

Public footpath near High Force

A footbridge across the Tees

There's one main route (a loop) which can be extended, depending on how far you want to walk. We set off from behind the pub, walking across several fields and past a few farms in the direction of Low Force. Unlike Saturday's walk, which was planned and accompanied by a map, we decided to go off the public footpath signs. It was pretty easy to navigate. We walked a five mile loop past Low Force and up to the south side of High Force. Although this does include a bit of an incline, the force at the top of the waterfall is mighty impressive (and a little scary) and very much worth the climb. The route at this time of year was so pretty, the wild flowers surrounding the path were a gorgeous palette of pinks and purples.

Wild flowers along the river

We were pretty lucky weatherwise, but on the return leg it started to rain. In an attempt to warm up and dry out we rewarded ourselves with a pub dinner. After a bit of deliberation (there are a few really great looking pubs in the area) we finally deciding on the Crown at Mickleton. This was pretty much our perfect pub. Lovely staff, cosy surroundings, nicely designed interior and really good food. We're planning a return visit very soon.

Mr D crossing the River Tees

Seven days in Pembrokeshire

Happy New Year! Where did 2014 go!? Although it was jam-packed with lots lovely times it seems to have all happened so quickly. Too quickly. Looking back through our instagram feeds earlier this week (a great memory store), we've had loads of adventures, achieved a fair bit of home improvement, got to grips with having a produce-bearing garden and spent a lot of time in front of the (newly installed) wood-burner.

Our little wood burning stove

One particular and relatively recent highlight of 2014 would have to be our anniversary mini-break to the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast. With the help of airbnb we found two amazing little getaways - Cwm Hill, a crog loft near New Moat and Wendy, a vintage railway carriage in Aberporth. Both properties were owned by the same host, Dr Greg Stevenson (a lecturer, author and TV host). We found them as we were just about to book another of Greg's rentals, in Ireland. He has a wonderful portfolio of holiday homes, all of which can be found at underthethatch.co.uk. When we saw his Wales listings we fell in love with both immediately. J was taken by the cottage and I really wanted to stay in the carriage. When we realised they were only an hour apart we decide to spilt the week across both sites, and I'm so glad we did.

Cwm Hill, New Moat

Cwm Hill was idyllic and very remote.  It's received the accolade of Best UK Star Gazing cottage and so when we arrived at around 6pm on a December evening we were totally in the dark and, if truth be told, a little scared. With the aid of the car headlights, we spotted two little chimney pots and made our way down to the cottage gates by foot. Once inside, with a glass or two of vino (to remedy the nerves) and a roaring stove, we knew that we had found a really special place and settled in right away.

Cwm Hill, New Moat

Although we would have both happily stayed bolted up in the cottage the whole time, reading, pottering or playing board games, we managed to wrap up warm and head out for a couple of day trips. First stop was Narbeth, a cute market town with some lovely shops. We then headed to Tenby, a beautiful coastal town with an almost Mediterranean feel to it (and plenty of pubs, which necessitated a pub lunch, of course). Both places were worth braving the cold for and are probably twice as nice (and busy) in the summer months.

Tenby

Almost every entry in Cwm Hill's guest book suggested a trip to Barafundle Bay, a National Trust site around 40 mins drive away. We're glad we heeded their advice - the bay must have been, on that sunny Tuesday in December, the most perfect (and totally deserted) beach in the UK. The colour of the sea was something special - our photos don't do it justice. The guest book also suggested the Tafarn Sinc, a local pub which has been in existence since 1872 - we willingly obliged with a swift pint on the way back and we'd concur with the praise of previous guests, it's a gem worth seeking out, not least for the mannequins waiting to greet patrons on arrival.

Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire

Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire

Cwm Hill was perfect - the bed was super comfy, the couch long enough for two slouchers, the shower was hot and powerful and the stove burned beautifully. We'd return in a heartbeat, it's a really special place to escape to.

Cwm Hill, New Moat

Our next holiday home was utterly charming, in a very different way. Wendy (built in 1908) resides by the sea at Aberporth after retiring from service in the 1930s. The drive from Cwm Hill to Wendy included two lovely towns Fishguard and St David's (the latter is actually the UK's smallest city) which should have warranted proper stop-offs but as the weather took a turn for the worst we were eager to get to our destination.

The view from Wendy's stoop

Wendy, Aberporth

Wendy looks out across the Irish Sea. A short walk left takes you to the seaside village of Aberporth (handy for wood and food supplies) and to the right, the beach at Tresaith. The guest book here recommends a walk along the cliff edge to a nearby pub at Tresaith. Naturally, three hours (more likely, four) were very well spent at The Ship Inn. They serve healthily large glasses of vin rouge and a very good sticky toffee pudding. 

The Ship Inn, Tresaith

(That's a pint glass next to the wine, not a half)

We've always wanted to go to Portmeirion so on our third day we made the 5 hour return drive to the famous Welsh coastal town. Thankfully the weather changed as we drove north and by the time we arrived the light was fantastic. The village is quaint and magical, and because of The Prisoner and Festival No.6, visually familiar. Being December it was also pretty much deserted, which added to the pleasant uncanniness.

Portmeirion beach

Portmeirion beach

Portmeirion beach

Portmeirion Village

We loved Wendy, but really fell head over feet for Cwm Hill. We're so grateful to Greg for the opportunity to stay in such amazing places and are considering another stay at some point soon, possibly this summer or better yet, September (if we're quick enough to get tickets for Festival No.6 this year...).

Portmeirion beach*

*a little over-filtered

Toronto in 24 hours

We've recently been on a USA/Canada Road trip which was full of brief but amazing stop overs. One of which was Toronto, Ontario...

After a couple of sleepy days at Blue Mountain Resort we were ready for some city life and Canada's commercial capital didn't disappoint. Our accommodation in Liberty Village (found through airbnb) fit the bill perfectly, a neat apartment in a quieter part of the city, which was within walking distance of pretty much everything. Although we didn't spend much time in Liberty Village the area seemed nice, safe and full of runners and dog walkers, and people who run with dogs - all of whom seemed to be the friendly, career-go-getter type. 

Our day started early and in the direction of Honest Ed's, a brightly lit department store we passed on the drive in. 

Clafouti, Queen Street West

Picking up sustenance in the form of a peanut butter and banana croissant (mmmm, yep) from Clafouti (home of the 'Crookie'!) we headed north through Trinity Bellwoods Park, across to Bathurst St and on to Bloor St. Honest Ed's is quite spectacular, a real looker (made for instagrammers) and a bargain hunter go-to. 

Honest Ed's, Bathurst and Bloor St

Dundas Street, a couple of streets south of Honest Ed's has some awesome looking eateries, all of which were sadly closed when we passed by at 10am. Stand outs, which, had we had the time, we would have return to included Bent Family Restaurant, Queen Margherita Pizza and Patois. 

Bent Family Restaurant, Dundas Street

City trip highlights, for me, tend to come in the shape of fancy stationary shops, coffee houses, delis and design stores, all of which can be found in Kensington Market, off Dundas. A few favourites in this area were Kid Ikarus, Good Egg and Bungalow. After some browsing (and a little spending) we had a really good cardamom iced coffee and a healthy(ish) snack at Fika and headed east in search of The Design Exchange and the Art Gallery of Ontario. 

El Catrin, The Distillery District 

Post culture fix, our travels further east led us to a really lovely and quite quiet part of the city, the Old Town and Distillery. This area, newly restored, is filled with fancy shops, bars and galleries. Here, we stumbled upon El Catrin Distileria, a real find, with a memorable cocktail list and the best tapas we've tasted in a long while. It's well worth the trek across the city to sample it. I can highly recommend a Smoked Flower (or three).  

A trip to Toronto has to be polished off with a stop at the CN Tower. Which is impressive and, so we're told, worth the 553m trek skywards, particularly for the revolving restaurant, but is just as good to experience from the Black Bull on Queen Street West, with a cold beer and good company. 

There's loads more to Toronto than this brief snippit, and if you're visiting soon, enjoy! We're jealous!

LD x

This post was dedicated to our chums Sarah and Naz (who are due to visit later this month) and Torontonian Kelly R, who gave most of this info, really. 

A different direction

Is it a change that's as good as a rest? Or a rest that's equivalent to change? I can never remember. Either way, we've embraced both. The changes? Firstly, I'm not blogging solo anymore, (the good Mr Devitt has offered to contribute) and secondly we've made the decision to expand our adventures outside of caravanning (I think I may have hinted at that last year, but anyway, now it's definitely happening).  

It's been just under 14 months since the last entry and a lot has happened since then. So, to say it was a rest isn't quite truthful, but it was certainly a break from blogging. We've settled in to our new(ish) digs, picked up some new skills (like learning how to grow our own vegetables) and done a fair bit of travelling. Whilst we've travelled we've gleaned information, advice and recommendations from across the web (trip advisor, airbnb, Facebook, Twitter and blogs aplenty). We've rinsed all the threads. And on our return, we figured it was time we gave something back, be it a recommendation for this, a review of that or a helpful hint, we're gonna blog about it.

Getting back on the blog-horse has proven tricky. The commitment to posting regularly, as any blogger will know is daunting. We're not promising that this will become a lifestyle blog ("phew!!") but it is our small attempt to give something back, somewhere we can share our experiences, likes and dislikes and which some folks might hopefully, in some small way, find inspiring, useful or (and I'm pushing it here) entertaining. So here goes, entry #1 (or #35 if you've kept count since 2011) Toronto in 24 hours...

JD & LD

New beginnings

I’ve often heard people talking about how they get up early to write their blog. Every time I’ve heard it I’ve thought ‘Good for you, you must be very disciplined, not something I could do though…’ They’ve usually said it after hearing me grumble that I never get time to blog anymore, which, to be fair, I’ve become really quite lax about. Well, look at me today! Up (at 6:15am) with the larks and the first thought on my mind was this wee blog. That’s not exactly true. First thought was ‘I should really start a blog about our new house*’ but I know I'd never keep up with it. Second thought 'just blog about it on Travelling for Pleasure'. Third thought was ‘but it doesn’t fit the theme’, this blog’s about caravans and happy holidays. And I’ve always tried to keep it that way. But maybe that’s what’s limiting my updates, duty to the genre, and lack of time to enjoy caravans and holidays…) or at least it’s a contributing factor. I’m often wanting to blog about my day (I have an awesome day job, I meet so many talented and brilliant people, see some amazing work and get to travel across England lots) and I’m always going to set up a blog to boast about how good it is, but never actually get around to it. In hindsight this is a good thing - here is a(n edited) list of all the domains I’ve bought/blogs I’ve set up accounts for intending to dutifully post to with regularity –

• A tea and cake caravan business
• A blog to catalogue all the amazing people in my life
• My illustration (x about 5)
• The Super Fun Art Club
• Whining about stuff
• Number spotting game
• Date Night Reviews

And there are many, many more, usually hinged around a specific event (like a wedding or turning 30).

This morning’s epiphany was, (shamefully something I’m always telling other’s to do) ‘why not just have one blog, where you’ve developed an interested audience, and build on it?’ I’ll admit this is a little late in the day, but I’m going to give it a go. Travelling for Pleasure is now going to be as much about coming home (and enjoying our home) as it is about trekking across the Pennines, the dales and beyond, visiting awesome cities, seeing brilliant work and of course caravans and holidays. I’m sure there’ll be some readers who switch off but I’m hoping there are some who stick with me for the ride. I’ll need to do a little tidying up of the design but it’s probably due a lick of paint anyway... right off to do some real life decorating (after a little rest in the garden – getting up early is somewhat tiring…) Happy Saturday folks. J

Our little garden

The new pad

*the new house is amazing. I’m not sure I will ever leave it…

Snow, snow, go away....

It is March, isn't it?! We're never going to get away this spring. Betty and Helga are desperate to get out and about. We thought a we'd post this little caravan collage we made last year to cheer us up.

A nip and a punch...

Wowsa! It's March. Where have the last four months gone!? Well... let me tell you. We had our last (sleep over) outing with Betty back in October. Our wonderful friends George and Chris have a static up in Bamburgh so we thought we'd join them for one last autumnal seaside trip.

Chris is a top chef (he works in the catering word in That London) making a meal in their static akin to eating out at a michelin star restaurant (we kid you not). Slow cooked beef for the meat eaters and some amazing boozy casserole for the veggies. A few bottles of wine, some rather brilliant company (including G's loveable parents) and we had the perfect end to the caravan season. It was made all the tastier for being cooked in some rather lovely scandi style enamelware. 

That wasn't quite Betty's final outing. She had a somewhat exciting day out back in December. We brought her along to our wedding in Northumberland. We'd planned to serve glogg and mini gingerbread houses from her at the end of the evening but we ended up forgetting all about it until quite late on (too much dancing probably). We did manage to get a few snaps with her though.

Well, now we're finally in to March, can't tell you how excited we are to start doing some more of this over the next year...