How are we already in December? This week has really started to feel like Christmas is on it’s way, with snow on the hilltops and a Christmas tree in the cottage. Very different to last year when we were living in the pre-renovated, extremely cold house with no kitchen and storage heaters that ran out of heat by mid-afternoon. At this point last year, we could not use the fire as it hadn’t been swept for years and we couldn’t get a sweep to come out until February! Luckily our fab next-door neighbour felt sorry for us and rang around, finding someone who would come out from Lancaster.
A mid-week escape to the Swaledale
Spotting a great forecast for the next few days, we packed the van up, raided the fridge and freezer and headed up to Swaledale in the northern Yorkshire Dales. We have lived in the Dales for over a year and this is the first time we have had a chance to head up that way. We climbed up to stay at Britain’s highest pub – The Tan Hill Inn which gets rave reviews about being campervan friendly. When we got there, we hadn’t banked on the fact that it would be quite wild and stormy in the night and the wind was buffeting the van so we decided it would be better to find somewhere more sheltered. We only moved about a mile down the road but had the most epic night under the stars.
We used the Yorkshire Dales and Lakes Wild Guide to inspire us for the next few days and set off in search of several waterfalls and historic ruins, of which there are plenty! Richard loves highlighting all the places we have visited in the book, his form of stamp collecting!
We did a really beautiful hike from the hamlet of Muker across the meadows, following the Swale River up to the village of Keld. It was pure iconic Yorkshire Dales with drystone walled fields, barn ruins and bracken blanketed slopes and limestone cliffs. We explored the ruins of the strangely names ‘Crackpot Hall’ and the long since abandoned quarry houses. We will certainly return in the summer when the wildflower meadows are in full bloom and the picturesque campsite – Usha Gap is open. I think we might have discovered one of our new favourite places in the Dales. We will also return to the Tan Hill Inn in less windy conditions.
We spent the second night at a parking spot with the most splendid views across the Swaledale Valley and woke up to the most beautiful sunrise, with a sharp frost blanketing the vista. The moon was still high in the sky and a low mist clung to the valley floor. You can’t beat waking up to mornings like this, even if the temperature was -4 degrees and the inside windows of the van were frozen!
It was an extremely economical trip as we wild camped both nights, raided the fridge and cupboards to find 2 meals and the fish and chip shop in Hawes was closed. And what could be better than playing pass the pigs in a snug van on a cold winters evening...
First full family get together in our cottage
Its been a fab weekend in the cottage as it is the first time we have had all of the kids to stay. It may be a tiny cottage but it was really comfortable with all 6 of us. Being the loving parents that we are – we gave up our room for Georgia as she is still recovering from Pneumonia. We were going to sleep in the van (a handy extra bedroom) but the forecast was -5 degrees so we had a lovely couple of nights on an airbed infront of the fire instead!
We love the fact that they insisted we had to get the Christmas tree together and decorate it with Christmas songs, mince pies and mulled wine because that is what we always do!
It was lovely cooking some of our favourite foods and just chilling out as a family in our little house.
The (Beautiful) South
On Saturday night we had tickets for ‘The South’ at the Victoria Hall in Settle – most of the members of the Beautiful South who sang all the old favourites. It was fantastic! 2 hours of nostalgia and a moment with a tear in my eye when they sang ‘A Fairy Tale of New York’ as a tribute to Shane McGowan. They were one of our favourite band during our Uni years and Georgia and Luke grew up knowing all the songs, so a great family night out!
Ingleborough Hike
With such a fantastic weather forecast we decided to have a long hike in the frosty Dales. We set of from the village of Clapham and hiked up through the stunning Trow Gill. It was such a lovely walk in the sunshine with the hoar frost on the ground and parascenders launching themselves of the top. The view from the summit was the clearest we have ever seen it, we could see snow on the peak of Scafell and the beach at Morcambe Bay. Of course, we had to end our 9 mile hike with a pint at the pub – we had earned it!
A very busy YouTube week
It is almost 18 months since we launched our YouTube channel which we started as it gave us a focus and purpose in our early retirement. We have enjoyed the process and love making travel blogs and reflecting on our retirement journey. This week has seen an explosion in our number of viewers and subscribers way beyond our expectations which is quite exciting and also quite scary! So this is a big thank you for those of you who do watch and have subscribed.
Starting to get ideas for a new van… with over 2 years to go
With over 2 years until we can access our pension, we are already starting to get ideas for our next van as we are aware that if we go for a new van we may have to order way in advance. There is so much choice out there and the first decision we need to make is - ready converted or another conversion project as we did with Nelson? We visited a showroom in Tebay that has both Sprinter van type conversions and coach build small motor homes based on a VW transporter Chassis, something we had never considered before. It's quite exciting looking around but I think one decision was made for us, at the price for new, ready converted vans and motorhomes, we will definitely be looking at pre owned! Wow they were expensive with a starting price of £80,000 and Richard dream Hymer Sprinter van at over £100,000.
That's it for another busy week, we spent a lovely afternoon today with Richards mum, Luke and Charlotte. We are definitely in the Christmas spirit now.
Have a great week
Jackie and Richard
We have just recently “discovered“ you both and are now working our way through your back catalogue of YouTube videos. All power to you for getting out there and doing what most of us dream about but never have the courage. I converted my own MWB transit and have never regretted it. Years in the planning and a 6 month spell of hard work ended up saving me thousands so I could afford a newer base vehicle and trust that the effort was worth it. Good luck With yours. Lisa