STILL SUMMER!

It continues to be an incredibly sunny and pretty warm autumn. I have had some more trips out in the yellow peril, still enjoying the lack of roof.

Viewpoint above Holmfirth

I hope John and Angela will be proud of me when I tell you I got to the top of something! Ok, it wasn’t Tianavaig wasn’t as high and it was much better weather, but it was steeper… honest!

View above Castleton / Speedwell Cavern

Another sunny day, (this one the last day of October!) and another run out. This time it was a relatively local circuit with a refreshing stop on the way! I have had an interest in the mast at Emley Moor since we planned a car treasure hunt many years ago. It had featured as one of the questions. Teams were supposed, in theory, to estimate the height of the mast and not, car after car after car, knock on the door of the nearest house and ask!! 1089 feet, for your info!!

Emley Moor Mast In Silhouette

DAY TRIPS

Various little day trips over the past week or so have been taking up most of my time. On top of bits of shopping and polishing my snorkel mask in readiness for the Caribbean jaunt, I’ve hardly had time to notice that it’s week three since I started my break and only a month until the cruise! Between now and then, I am going for a short break with friends in Brugge and on top of that, some other friends have invited me to join them on their holiday to Centre Parks just prior to me flying out, getting the packing right is going to be a treat!
Yesterday was the most picturesque of my recent little trips. I worked out that it had been about 15 years since the last time I had visited Brimham Rocks in the North Yorkshire dales, it is still as strange and wonderful a place as I had remembered.
It had been pretty wet overnight and a bit cloudy on my way there but as the sun burnt through the greyness, the whole place took on a crisp appearance in the bright light.

(Note to self…. If global warming allows, get back up there in the snow!)

Enough for now, getting back in to the bananamobile and heading back up to Scotland!

HIGH TIDE

Most of us would be a little concerned if our back garden flooded. Not here though! It floods and drains twice a day, very efficiently!
Tides being tides, they vary….

Near to high tide in August last year

High tide October this year!

I trust the cruise ship I'm going on is a bit sturdier than the one we found......

ADVENTURE ON THE ‘CONTINENT’

Day 2 in the big brother house started with a hearty breakfast before we set out for, what is jokingly known as the continent, actually the just the mainland! This time no boat but over the Skye Bridge.

Only a few miles into the journey I decided it was warm enough (just!) to put the roof down. We were lucky enough to leave it that way for the rest of the day.

Our main intention on this trip was to take on what is regarded as one of the most dangerous roads in the UK! The single track road to Applecross greets you with the slightly worrying sign you can see in the photo!

We made it and I really enjoyed driving it, not sure about my passenger but then the cliffs were on his side!

Then lunch, a pie sat in these surroundings in the village of Shieldaig really made me miss the McDonald’s in Blackburn!

We closed the loop back to Skye passing through some spectacular scenery, like Ben Eighe.

That was fun, can we go round again?!!

FIRST TRIP

After a fun drive to my mums place and a very nice meal, I set off on one of the best car journeys you can do in the UK. This time the weather was nice enough to push back the roof of the car and that really let me take in the scenery and atmosphere of Loch Lomond side and the route to the traditional stopping off point at the Green Welly for breakfast.

Then came the run up through Rannoch Moor and the magnificent Glen Coe to Fort William, turn left at Ben Nevis, past the Glenfinnan Monument and on to Mallaig for the ferry ‘over the sea to’ (sorry!) Armadale on Skye.

En route to my final destination I took the road with a great view of The Cullin mountains.

A great drive, worth the sunburnt nose!

THE PLAN

There is a (loose!) plan. It goes something like this.
Buy a car to replace the company one I gave back … DONE
Buy a phone to replace the company one I gave back … DONE
Buy fuel for the new car and have a break with the family in Scotland … DONE (see above)
Buy ticket to cruise the Caribbean in November … DONE




Buy round the world ticket for January – March (Probably - Thailand, Australia (Hi G & Andi!!), NZ, Hawaii, Route 66) … TO DO
Panic when I realise I’ve bought too much and get a job!! … TO DO