Cleaning, polishing and sorting.

26.7 Miles. Now at Elwyn Road March.

First of all we would like to thank all our friends and followers who have sent their best wishes and support to Tom and Jan of N/b Waiouru who are in dispute with Ben Harp Narrowboats. Hopefully if we all keep the pressure up it will get too much for this small minded little crook and he will be driven off the waterways for ever. We certainly hope so.

For us it is now a time of cleaning and polishing the outside of the motorhome because the New Zealand authorities will go over it with a fine tooth comb looking for any nasty stowaways. Inside of course we have been running the pantry down so we won’t have to throw too much stuff away. As far as clothing and personal gear we have a weight limit of only 23kg on our flight home to worry about, so it’s a case of what can we keep and what goes to the charity shops, at least there are a lot here in March. Oh happy days!

A total of 4241 miles, since 5 March 2011

BEWARE. Boat buyers BEWARE.

We have been following a saga for some time now of another New Zealand/Australian couple who were attempting to follow in our footsteps with a narrow boat being built to their own specifications. Over quite a long period we had been in communication over various matters including boat builders.

Well unfortunately the owners of N/B Waiouru have fallen foul of a an unscrupulous builder (Ben Harp Boat Builders Ltd)  who have ripped them off big time. The owner supplied Harp with a lot of electrical gear and interior fittings which were bought and paid for in Australia, and sent to Ben and Kelly Harp. All of this has disappeared without trace. They have also spent a small fortune on legal fees trying to get access to the boat which upon collection today by court order has been found to have been maliciously trashed and gutted of all fittings right back to the spray foam insulation. Is this criminal or what?

Photos from Tom and Jan’s blog this evening taken earlier today.

I won’t go into personal details except to say that anybody thinking of getting a narrow boat built should read N/B Waiouru’s blog before proceeding with any commitment what so ever.

Another lunch, another farewell.

The new pavement fountains in Cathedral Square, Peterborough.

After yesterdays glorious sunshine it was back to cool and overcast as we set off to catch the bus into town. Dot wanted to find a M&S store to buy a nice top she had seen advertised online. Unfortunately they didn’t have any in stock but have ordered one in for her so she will have to make another trip into Peterborough later this week.

Pam & John at Orton Hall

After a bit of sight seeing we headed off to an arranged place near the Cathedral to meet up with cousin Pam and her husband John. They whisked us away to a lovely restaurant not too far from the camp for another lovely lunch, (we could get to love this lifestyle). After lunch it was back to the camp for coffee before Pam and John had to leave for a bowls competition on the other side of of town. Another fabulous day but alas a sad farewell.

We don't often get a photo of us together either.

Final UK campsite.

65.8 Miles. Now at Ferry Meadows Caravan Club site at Peterborough.

Yesterday we spent the day with Terry and Polly, a couple that we had met on the coach trip to the German Xmas Markets. We had called in to see them on the start of our epic journey around the British Isle’s with the promise of calling back upon our return.

Terry & Polly our travelling companions from Burgh Le Marsh near Skegness.

Gypsy Rover at Ferry Meadows.

After a cuppa and a good natter Terry took us to one of the local golf clubs for a few ales and lunch. The girls had Scampi and Chips while us fella’s had Curried Chicken with a Mango Chutney which was so nice we had to get a second bowl full.  After about 3 hours at the golf club we retired to Terry and Polly’s bungalow for coffee and snacks. After much chatter and many laughs the clock struck ten, so Terry very kindly returned us to our campsite with the promise of keeping in touch and who knows, possibly a visit by them to NZ at some stage. It was great to meet up with such a lovely couple once more and hopefully we may meet up again some time.

A one tree carving at Ferry Meadows.

The opposite side of the one tree carving.

This morning we were back on the road to Peterborough and our final Caravan Club camp site. Tomorrow we plan to meet up with my cousin for lunch somewhere in town to catch up on all their news.

Ferry Meadows where we moored in N/B Gypsy Rover

This final camp site is probably the largest we have stayed at, with 265 pitches on 30 acres spread over two sites on either side of the lane. With school holidays now upon us the camp sites are going to be busy and there are going to be children everywhere but the next fortnight for us is also going to be busy. Preparing the motorhome for shipment, looking after a narrow boat and the crews dog for 4 days and then finally getting ourselves sorted out to fly home our time will be at a premium.

A total of 4214 miles, since 5 March 2011

Cleethorpes. Nostalgic visit.

41.0 Miles. Now at Nursery Bungalow CL at Burgh Le Marsh near Skegness.

Rather than mess around with having to change buses to get to Cleethorpes we had found that there was ample parking in the area so we drove there first thing this morning. Our destination was the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway. It was here in the late 1940’s early 50’s that my father worked driving the miniature steam loco’s after being de-mobbed from the RAF.

Bassett Lowke class 10 #11 from the Sutton Collection. It carried the names Mighty Atom and Prince of Wales

"Sutton Flyer". Another Sutton collection loco built 1950.

Cleethorpes miniature railway break down crane.

Cleethorpes miniature railway. Different style passenger rolling stock.

The railway has changed over the years with more track and one station being relocated. Ownership has also changed a few times. The original Loco’s have all gone although one has been found and is being restored to return to the tracks later this year. Some of the rolling stock is original although much has been bought in from other railways that have gone out of existence. A recent addition to the railway is the Griffin Hall Museum which was built to house the Sutton Collection of miniature railways from where todays loco came from.

Cleethorpes miniature railway. Sutton Belle built 1933 rebuilt 1953.

Full steam ahead for the return journey.

This 0n9 model combines "N" gauge track and chassis's with "0" gauge size bodies and figures.

A total of 4148 miles, since 5 March 2011

A New Face to Grimsby.

After heavy overnight rain, this morning was warm and overcast. A 15 minute walk into the village where we caught the bus to Grimsby. Everybody associates Grimsby with fish and fishing as it was the largest fishing port in the world at the beginning of the 20th Century with 3 docks handling over 700 fishing boats. With the arrival of the railway in 1848 fish could be sent inland and south to Billingsgate Market greatly increasing the demand for fresh fish. It was in the 1950’s with the Icelandic “Cod Wars” that the fishing industry here collapsed putting hundreds of fisherman back ashore looking for alternative work.

The old face of Grimsby. A derelict warehouse awaiting a new lease of life.

A new use for an old barge.

Old warehouses on the inland navigation above the port of Grimsby.

Alexandra Dock lift bridge, Grimsby.

During WWII the port had a big resurgence being used by the Navy as a base for it’s Minesweepers. These days the port is renowned for the importing and exporting of Motor Vehicles. Whereas the port also used to export coal from South Yorkshire mines it now imports coal from overseas for use in the coal fired power stations around the country.

Old grain warehouse at Alexandra Dock.

A sidewinder trawler built in 1957 and fished until 1984. It was then used as an oil rig tender boat until 1992.

National Fishing Heritage Centre, Grimsby.

A fisherman's wife repairs nets in the back yard between other household chores.

In 1991 the National Fishing Heritage Centre was opened on Alexandra Dock to celebrate the work and lives of fisherman with guided tours of the largest sidewinder trawler “Ross Tiger”. The tour takes you through the crew quarters, down into the engine room and the hold where the fish was frozen and stowed. There are plenty of dioramas inside the museum depicting the lives of fisherman of the 1950’s.

Skipper standing on the bridge checking all is ship shape before sailing.

Trawlers radio room.

Trawler wheelhouse.

Memorial to Grimsby fisherman lost at sea.

Well, what have we here then!

You can even stand on the deck of a heaving trawler as the crew land the catch or in the wheel house watching the bow rise and fall against the horizon. The museum is well worth a visit and will quite easily fill in an afternoon, no trouble at all.

Taken tonight at 9.30pm. Does this mean we are going to get a sunny day tomorrow? It’s Long overdue.

Back in Lincolnshire.

80.9 Miles. Now at Holten Lodge CL at Holton Le Clay.

Once again it was time to hit the road and work our way further South. We made the obligatory visit to the nearby ASDA supermarket first and foremost. We are getting to the stage where we have to think about what we require in the next few days rather than weeks as we have been doing. With only 2 more booked sites after this one we are seriously running things right down so we have the least amount possible to off load before the motorhome goes back to Cranhams for remedial warranty work and the final leg of the journey to Southampton Docks.

Swing bridge somewhere in North Yorkshire. Canal or river navigation?

Gypsy caravan minus the horse power.

When we set out on this epic journey, August seemed so far away but now it’s only just around the corner and we have lots to do in a short space of time. However we will make the most of our last few days with visit’s to Grimsby and Cleethorpes and Skegness over the next few days.

Road and Rail bridge side by side.

A total of 4107 miles, since 5 March 2011

York Castle Museum.

Castle Museum York.

Warringtons Victorian Carousel in front of Castle Museum.

Summer! Who are they trying to kid. Our relatives in New Zealand are getting better weather than us and they are into Winter. Anyway we headed back into York on the bus again under blue skies but the weather forecast was for heavy rain and hail. Well there was no sign or hint of this as we arrived back in the city.

Armourment through the ages.

A quick change of bus to take us to the York Castle Museum (as recommended by Lesley on Nb Caxton) and the sun was still shining. We entered the museum about 10.45am and became thoroughly engrossed with the Prison side of the Castle first. Prisoners in this day and age have nothing to complain about when you read how they were dealt with back in the 18th and 19th centuries. The only way to get fair treatment was to bribe the Gaoler if you had the means to do so.

Castle Museum, The Sixties display.

The mantra of the Sixties. “Love”

It was about 12.30 when we thought that we had better find somewhere to have our picnic lunch. As we arrived back at the main entrance we found to our horror that it was pouring with rain and there was indeed hail sliding down the windows. It was at this point we realised that we had only done half of the museum as we hadn’t visited the Victorian section. This covered life over the last 200 years.

A 1950's style lounge. Castle Museum, York.

Museum Gardens in York

With the manufacturing of chocolate here in York being a big source of employment, the names of Rowntree and Terry have a long history in the city. It’s amazing that so many historic families such as these were Quakers. The Rowntrees’ especially were compassionate people who put their heart and soul into becoming fair employers and bringing about the welfare state we all take for granted these days. One thing I learnt was that George Cadbury, the founder of Cadbury Chocolate was an apprentice for two years to Joseph Rowntree Senior in his Grocery store. During the Irish Potato famine of 1845 Joseph Junior set up a soup kitchen to feed Irish refugees who had fled Ireland to York.

The Millenium Bridge across the River Ouse which wasn't completed until 2001.

Realising that only one man in five and one woman in three couldn’t read and write, Joseph and his two brothers set about adult education in the back of their shop in their spare time after a long day at work. Joseph was also responsible for setting up a library for his staff and later with the help of his son Seebohm set up York City Library which was opened by his adversary, Sir Joseph Terry of Terrys’ chocolate fame. To this day the Rowntree family story continues with the Rowntree Society which is like a family tree linking everybody with York.

National Railway Museum road train spotted today.

Like other famous people such as Isambard Brunel, Robert and George Stephenson, Josiah Wedgewood, Titus Salt, James Watt, Thomas Telford and James Brindley, many were Quakers but all were men well ahead of their time.

Beechwood Grange Horse Stud where the Caravan Club site is in York

Another enjoyable hour and a half passed by quite rapidly but it was time to head back into town for our bus home. We caught the tour bus outside the museum which got us back as far as the City Art Gallery when we thought that we had better head off on foot as we were unsure that the tour bus would get us to our destination in time. As we crossed the city there were occasional showers but nothing like earlier. It turned out our bus was running late due to an accident and atrocious weather but at least we wouldn’t have as far to walk back to camp as we had done yesterday. We had no sooner got back to the motorhome when the skies opened up once more and we were deluged with pouring rain for over an hour. Needless to say the camp is suffering with a great deal of flooding.  We managed to get the laundry washed and dried between heavy showers and walked all around the camp to the laundry to avoid the flooded areas.  There is more torrential rain forecast this evening and overnight.  Hopefully we wont need to swim.

York by Boat and Bus.

This flooding was what greeted us in the camp this morning.

Yesterday was a very wet disaster causing a book, cards and crossword day. It wasn’t worth venturing out because we would have got soaked by the time we reached the bus stop let alone wandering around the city.

Gert and Henry's pub near The Shambles, York.

The Shambles.

York Minster.

Today was a slight improvement with only light showers so it was off to the bus stop. Arriving in town we had a quick wander around to get our bearings and found ourselves down by the River Ouse. We purchased two combined boat and bus tour tickets and within minutes were on board a trip boat. The skipper/guide drew our attention to the flood gates outside both commercial and residential properties along the river. These gates were at least 15 to 20 feet above the river level and they have been used within the last 10 years. He pointed out a pub called the Kings Arms where he recalled his father having to wear his wellies (gumboots) to go for a pint as it had been flooded and was full of mud. Health and safety would have something to say about it these days.

Guy Fawkes was born here.

A human statue in York.

Clifford Tower at the York Castle Museum.

The skipper also commented on the fact that York has so much buried beneath your feet. He recalled a TV programme which was at a house he had lived in as a child. Excavations in the back yard revealed headless skeletons which they have now suggested were Roman Gladiators who died in the sports arena. When the latest Sainsbury supermarket was built they uncovered more skeletons which it turns out was a Jewish cemetery. Rabbi’s and clerics were bought in to perform ceremonies and consecrate the area leaving everything as it was before building commenced.

Scene's along the River Ouse. The Bonding Warehouse is up for re-development.

Scene's along the River Ouse.

Residences alongside the River Ouse. The grey gates are flood gates and they have been used recently.

After returning to dry land we took the open top tour bus for a complete circuit by which time it was time for lunch and I knew a good cafe near where we had alighted from the bus. Yes, another unplanned visit (yeah right) to the National Railway Museum  was about to unfold including lunch. No trip to York is complete without a visit to this museum, in my eyes anyway. Due to extensive renovations only the Great Hall, Warehouse and the Works were open. The remainder were due to re-open at the end of the month. There were a few changes in the Great Hall including the cafe which was on the Station Hall platform last time I was here.

Scene's along the River Ouse. The rivers Ouse and Foss join here. The lift bridge has to be wound up and down by hand.

The Lendle Bridge over the River Ouse in the centre of York.

Scene's along the River Ouse.

My last visit to the Works saw the Flying Scotsman stripped right down to the chassis for a major overhaul. Today it was Southern  Railways Merchant Navy class “Winston Churchill” for a cosmetic makeover as all her outside cladding was looking like she had just come through a bombing raid, not a straight panel to be seen. Outside in the live steam bay was LMS/BR 5P class “The Lancashire Fusilier” being prepared for what I presume was a live steam tour return journey as they had fitted the head board “The Flying Scotsman”. My last visit saw the newest steam loco “Tornado” in the steam bay undergoing repairs.

Guess Who? National Railway Museum.

Steam Locomotive name plates.  What can we say.

.7mm model railway. Don’t know if that name’s quite right.  but it looks good.

Time flew by too quickly as it always seems to do in establishments such as the NRM and it was time to head into town for a bit of shopping and then find the bus home.

North Yorkshire Moors.

84.8 Miles. Now at Beechwood Grange Club site at York.

It rained and it poured and it rained and it poured. What a miserable start to the day. Had we still been on the boat it would have definitely been a no go day. There was no way that we could stay on as the whole site had been booked by the Young farmers Club for a rally including live entertainment. About 9.30am a huge 6 axle articulated truck arrived and deposited the curtain side trailer across the end of the site. This was going to be the stage for tonight's entertainment. It was at this point that we thought that we had better get out of there smartly before the crowds started to arrive.

We set off with the intention of heading for Filey but unknown to the driver the navigator had set the Sat Nav for Mondays destination of York by mistake. We knew that part of our journey was to be across the North Yorkshire Moors so we were unaware to start off with that anything was amiss. It was when we were directed to turn right towards Castleton that the navigator started to become concerned. As we headed higher up onto the moors the weather started to close in, by the time we were on the top of the moors at Yan Brow we had barely 150 yards visibility. With lights on and a top speed of no more than 30MPH it was tricky looking for white sheep wandering on the road or cyclists and hikers just appearing out of the gloom. Those wearing Hi Vis jackets were easy to spot but these were in the minority. These conditions lasted for the best part of half an hour until we started to drop in altitude. Conditions improved by the time we reached Hutton le Hole and we were able to relax a little although wandering sheep were still a problem.

It was as we turned off from the moors and signs for York started to appear that we knew we had made a directional error. It wasn’t worth turning back towards Filey so we drove to the York camp site hoping that we could get in 2 days ahead of schedule. Luck was on our side, due to the atrocious weather conditions the camp had received several cancellations so we were able to get a pitch. A quick phone call to the site at Filey with the humblest of apologies for cancelling at a late moment was cheerfully accepted.

Now we will have to find ways of spending 4 days in York, now that shouldn’t be hard should it? No photos today due to the atrocious conditions, sorry.

A total of 4026 miles, since 5 March 2011

Darlington. Another Railway Town.

Today didn’t quite go as planned, which was a trip into Durham. Dot had contacted our Doctor for a repeat prescription to be sent to a chemist in Scarborough which we planned to pick up tomorrow on our travels. Luckily she had the fore thought to ring the chemist to ensure they had received it, which it turned out they hadn’t. Ringing our Doctors surgery they assured us that the prescription had been posted out. Lost in the post again!

Darlington Technical College.

We had a similar problem once before and we solved it by going to a NHS Walk In centre. A quick internet search revealed one such establishment in Darlington. Luckily we have a bus stop at the gate once again, so it was off into Darlington this morning. The bus driver was very good and dropped us off at the correct stop as we had no idea where to go. Having checked a street map I knew which streets we were looking for so it only took 10 minutes to find the place. At the centre we were spoken to immediately by the receptionist who gave us an appointment for 11.30am, a three quarter of an hours wait. OK no big deal!  Eleven o clock and the doctor appeared calling Dot into the surgery, five minutes later and we were walking out of the door, prescription in hand. Now that’s what we call service and the locals complain about it. They have never had it so good.

The Bulmer Stone. Darlingtons oldest land mark. Circa 10,000BC it once marked the northern boundary of the town.

Walking into town to find a chemist we saw signs to the “Railway Museum” only 800m away. While we waited for the prescription to be made up we went into Costa’s for a coffee and snack and then returned to the chemist.

146 Northgate, Darlington where the Stockton to Darlington Railway originated from. Everything was planned here.

Prescription in hand we headed off in the direction of the museum. Along the way I spoke to a gentleman who was standing in the doorway of his shop to ensure we were heading the right way. This turned out to be quite a surprise because he informed me that the building I was standing in front of was the actual building where all the planning for the Stockton to Darlington Railway took place including the plans for Loco’s and rolling stock. This was duly photographed before we went in search of the museum.

North Road station home to the "Head of Steam" museum Darlington.

The “Head of Steam” Darlington Railway Museum is housed in the old North Eastern Railways North Road station which is still in use on the Bishop Auckland line. Only one platform is in daily use by commuter trains, the rest is all part of the museum. The four loco’s housed there cover the history of steam power on the railways from Locomotion through to the N.E.R heavy Q7 goods loco before dieselisation.

Darlington.

The station side of the display covered right from the ticket office to everything that you would have expected to see on a late 19th century, early 20th century railway station including the Gents urinals over a 50 year period. There is also a very well made 12 foot long diorama of the Stockton to Darlington railway where mine and quarries were served, right down to the docks at Stockton where goods were transhipped to boats for transportation South. As the railways grew sea travel around the coast diminished.

Robert Stephenson’s Locomotion. The first loco to run on a public railway. Ran from 1825 until 1841. In 1850 it became a static boiler at a factory.

Ex North Eastern Railway Station Darlington.

The museum has a link with the National Railway Museum at York because all the locos were on loan. There was some rolling stock out in another part of the station grounds and there are plans to open another section to the public in September, but for the time being this must be one of the smallest railway museums around.

Tennant #1463 built 1885 withdrawn and preserved 1927. The only remaining one of its class.

Platform bookstall found on many a railway station.

Inside North Road station. Head of Steam museum.

For the past two evenings we have been entertained by members of a local Aero modelling club flying their radio controlled aircraft in the adjacent field. Helicopters, stunt planes, powered gliders and a V jet aircraft which was flown too high and went out of sight it eventually crashed landed in the wheat field opposite. The wheat appeared to soften the impact as it came back unscathed.

County Durham

63.2 Miles. Now at Carrsides Farm CL at Ferryhill.

This was a coal washing plant for local mines around Gilsland.

Other than being a nice Summers day for a change it was a pretty uneventful sort of day. Other than an accident at a ‘T’ junction on a perfectly straight stretch of road, where one car was sitting in the holding bay waiting to turn right and the other car finished up in the hedgerow 10 feet off the road. The car in the holding bay had extensive front end damage but the other car was barely visible. What happened and how, beats me!

14th Century Thirlwell Castle built from stone robbed from Hadrian's Wall.

A total of 3942 miles, since 5 March 2011

Hadrian’s Wall Country.

Our chariot to Housesteads Fort. Aptly numbered AD 122 when the building of the fort began.

Todays destination was Housesteads Roman Fort mid way between Carlisle and Newcastle upon Tyne. Our chariot (bus aptly numbered AD122) picked us up at the gate and whisked us up and down narrow roads through villages and other fortified Roman sites. Majority of the passengers on the bus were hikers who were working their way along Hadrians Wall from one site to the next which were generally only 3 or 4 miles apart. Places with names of Once Brewed, Vindolanda and the Roman museum. The wall was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

East to West across Housesteads Roman Fort.

Dot tries out a Roman loo.

Drainage system collecting water for the toilets.

As we are not members of National Trust there was an admission fee of £4.50 each. Walking up to the fort it didn’t appear that big but once onto the site we soon realised that there was more than met the eye. Newcastle upon Tyne University have done many archaeological digs  and each time revealing more and more each time. With a site covering 5 acres there has been plenty to discover.

One line of soldiers barracks holding 80 men.

This was the Granary. A wooden floor was built on the stone piles to avoid damp and vermin.

Housesteads Roman fort covers 5 acres.

Two thousand years ago and we find that the Romans were very much into cleanliness, water reticulation and sewage waste. With bath houses where each bath was hotter than the next until the last bath which was a shuddering cold dip. Channels around buildings to catch rain water and divert it to the latrines to flush everything away probably to a cesspit at the bottom of the hill,while the remainder was channelled away through underground culverts.

Hadrians Wall stretching along the hillside. Varying from 6-8 foot wide it is distinctly different from the dry stone walls that cover the countryside.  The Romans certainly knew how to build.

Hadrians Wall running along the crest of the hill.

Roman hand basin maybe?

The latrines. A wooden bench around the walls over the pit was the communal toilet.

When it came time to go back to camp our scheduled bus failed to arrive and as time went by it became clear that we would have to wait another hour for the next one. However, just after we caught our bus another bus passed us and it turned out that it hadn’t followed the scheduled route leaving many passengers stranded out in the middle of nowhere until the next bus. Luckily it was a fine day so people didn’t mind too much about the delay.

Far reaching views from Housestead Fort on top of the hill.

Gypsy Rover at Whittlees farm CL, Gilsland.