Day 64: Saturday 11th June 2022

Day 64: Saturday 11th June 2022

We got up early and left by 7.30am this morning to get past any difficult roads whilst there wasn’t too much traffic around. We were able to stop en route in Abergavenny, a really nice town. We stayed there for about two hours in order to get some breakfast (cake!!) and also buy some bread. We wished we had stayed a little longer, but wanted to get to the campsite, as you could check in from midday. 

It is a great campsite, the facilities are very useful - there are even fridges and freezers! After settling in, we caught the bus to Brecon which again was a nice town to explore. There has been an event going on called “Race The Sun” around the Brecon Beacons, where participants have been taking part in cycling, kayaking and hiking Pen Y Fan. We cheered a few cyclists on as they passed us at the bus stop - it looked challenging but a great event to take part in! 

We hope to do some more walks over the next few days around the Brecon Beacons. There is another canal nearby, so we’d like to do another walk alongside it, as well as a few more walks to some of the peaks. We also got chatting to a nice couple all about different festivals and also different towns/ places to visit.

Day 63: Friday 10th June 2022

Day 63: Friday 10th June 2022

A really nice day weather wise today. As the campsite hires out canoes, we were able to go out for a few hours on the River Wye, which runs directly alongside the campsite before continuing to Hereford and beyond. The instructor gave a safety briefing for about 15 minutes, and then we were off! It was great fun, although we weren’t very skillful.

It gave us a good chance to spot a number of different wildlife on the river, including swans and two cygnets (thank you Dad for teaching me that!) ducks and their duckings, a Heron, a fish jumping out of the water (I’ve never seen that before!) and also some cows that came to say hello. 

We got a bit stuck on one particular turning in the river, due to the current in the river. We tried at least three times to get past it, but each time we were eventually carried backwards again, probably to the amusement of the cows and ducks watching us! So we gave up and decided it was a good place to turn round and head back to the little jetty, as it was about time to go back anyway and our arms were getting a bit tired! It didn’t take us long to get back, as the river carried us that way naturally. 

The rest of the time we spent today doing laundry again, and just getting sorted really in the van. Very lucky with the weather today - lots of sun, so able to hang our washing outside to dry, as it is so expensive for the tumble dryers and washing machines! 

Day 62: Thursday 9th June 2022

Day 62: Thursday 9th June 2022

Today we did not do much. Mum enquired about canoeing, but the owner was away on a course, so instead arranged to hire one for tomorrow. The rest of the day was spent doing laundry (with help from one of the really nice cleaners as we had no idea with this particular washing machine!) and then a walk in the afternoon around the wood opposite, once it had finished raining. 

I spent quite a lot of time researching Glastonbury and listening to one song from each artist to make sure I know who I’d like to see performing. We don’t know when our shifts will be though, and bet one will be on Friday when everyone we really want to see will be playing! But that’s fine if it happens that way. We will be stewarding for Oxfam, 3 x 8 1/4 hour shifts, arriving there on the Monday. Not long to go! Excited, but nervous too! 

Day 60 & 61: Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th June 2022

Day 60: Tuesday 7th June 2022

We are now travelling down through England to get closer to Glastonbury, ready for the festival. Our next stop from Stafford is Mordiford, near Hereford. We left at 8.45am and stopped at Ludlow Foodhall on the way, where we have been a number of times previously. The journey through Hereford was quite difficult due to some of the busy roads, but we got to the campsite okay! 

It is a big campsite, the facilities are good and the River Wye runs alongside it, so we ventured for a little way alongside the river in the afternoon. There is a possibility of canoeing, as they hire them here, so hopefully we might be able to do that later in the week! 

This campsite has their own “landmark” signpost, so we had to take a photo, having visited the one in John O’ Groats one month ago exactly! 

Day 61: Wednesday 8th June 2022

As we are in the area, we decided to catch the 10am bus to Hereford to look around the town. It is a good town - quite a lot of shops, a nice Cathedral and again a really nice river walk. I seem to post a lot of pictures of pretty rivers and bridges! 

The Mappa Mundi, the largest surviving medieval world map, was also located at the Cathedral, although we didn’t manage to see it.

The cafe we had researched was unfortunately shut. Never mind! After a bit of wandering around and wondering where to go, we found a great cafe called Rocket near the Cathedral for some delicious flatbreads and salad! 

Back at around 5.15pm. It is strange being back in England, but nice to feel slightly closer to home, as it has been a long time that we have been travelling! Really enjoying all the stays though - every campsite and each area is very different which is very interesting to see. This morning, someone kindly helped show us how to put the outdoor awning up for the first time, so fingers crossed we remember how to do it for next time! 

Day 59: Monday 6th June 2022

Day 59: Monday 6th June 2022

Due to our early start yesterday, we did not rush going out today, and eventually left for a walk at about 11. 

The site manager had given us a couple of leaflets about walks in the area, so we followed one with directions to the canal. It was lovely walking by the canal, and so interesting to see all the narrowboats. There were a number of ducks on the water too, which we saw both there and on the way back. They came looking for food I think! 

We headed along the canal to Wheaton Aston. This was a very pretty village, with a nice church and open space to eat our lunch. We also decided to get a drink from the pub again!!

The walk back was really nice, as we passed lots of people on their boats on the canal. One big group of friends were all having lunch on theirs, which looked ideal! It was also a good opportunity to learn the phonetic alphabet ready for our stewarding at the festivals this summer, as we haven’t learnt it yet, but the training mentioned it. 

We finished the walk by walking up the narrow lanes we had driven yesterday. A good reminder that we don’t want to drive back this way! We were lucky not to meet anyone coming the other way, but don’t want to risk it again!! 

We move on tomorrow to Hereford. Three weeks left until we go home for a couple of weeks. Two weeks until Glastonbury! 

Day 58: Sunday 5th June 2022

Day 58: Sunday 5th June 2022

Worried about the long journey today from near Carlisle to Stafford, we set off early at 6.45am to try to get past the Lakes, as we expected it to be very busy with people leaving from their bank holiday breaks. Luckily, for the most of the way, the traffic was fine, although awful weather which made some of the motorway challenging to drive due to the spray. 

Nice weather and quiet roads to begin with

It did get a bit challenging with the rain

We stopped a couple of times at the services once we were nearly there, as we were very early!! The last part of the journey was perhaps the most difficult of this whole road trip surprisingly! A small section of road was closed due to a street party, so we were directed down a narrow lane meeting lots of traffic coming the other way. We were very glad that it was not a big diversion, but the roads in the area generally remained very narrow for several miles, so we were relieved to get to the campsite! 

As the weather is still not great, we have not done much today. 

Hope everyone has had a nice bank holiday weekend! 

Day 57: Saturday 4th June 2022

Day 57: Saturday 4th June 2022

What a beautiful day it has been today - sun and very warm! A big difference from some of our time in Scotland where we wore lots of layers! 

We left fairly late for a walk to a local village, Armathwaite, about 3 or 4 miles away. The path was mostly through woodland, and then along a road with some nice countryside views. It was a really nice walk, although the cars were particularly fast driving past, so we enjoyed the forest sections a lot more. 

Armathwaite was a lovely village, with a river running through it as a great spot for lunch, and to read another poem about the river, River Eden. Also able to stop for a drink at the pub as we didn’t stop yesterday! 

After walking back, it was still really nice weather so we were able to sit and read in the sun for a while. Of course, we went back to see the Fairy Glen lit up again tonight!! Although we haven’t been here long and are leaving tomorrow, it has been a great campsite to visit.