Travels in the van, the first 4 days

We’ve covered some ground and seen some great sights since we left Norfolk on Monday. 

With 4 days to cover I won’t bore you with too many details - although there may be more photos than necessary! 

Day 1 was a driving day but before our overnight stop on the moors above Osmotherley we managed to squeeze in a couple of things that have been on our list. These were the Druids Temple near Masham and the lovely old city of Ripon. The cathedral there was worth the visit alone with its crypt dating to AD672, the oldest part of any cathedral in the British Isles. Nature highlights included Crossbills and Redpolls at Druids Temple and entertaining Red Grouse by the van on the moors that evening. 

Day 2 saw us heading to the coast to Saltburn which we both loved. It has such a nice relaxed seaside vibe (and of course the picturesque Cliff Railway and Pier which I’d long wanted to see). From the sublime to the ridiculous next with a drive through industrial Teeside taking in the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge, an iconic structure from our industrial past. Working our way up the coast a beach scramble at Noses’s Point to photograph the sea stack there preceded our overnight stop at Dawson Dene in Seaham.

Day 3 was a bit more touristy with most of the day at Beamish Living Museum of the North. The place is extremely well done and much improved since my last visit 30 years ago. We particularly enjoyed the new 1950s town and riding on the trams and buses. A quick pop in to photograph the Angel of the North followed before fighting our way through the Tyneside traffic to our overnight at Tyne Riverside Country Park at Newburn (and a beer at the Big Lamp Brewery there!)

Day 4 (the day I’m writing this) has entered around Hadrian’s Wall with a long walk along the wall at Steel Rigg as far as Crag Lough via Sycamore Gap (sadly now minus it’s tree) followed by a visit to Housesteads Roman Fort to make the most of our NT membership! After that it was a long but pretty drive though the Northumberland Hills to Rothbury where we are ‘camped’ beside the River Coquet. 

And all this has been done in almost unbroken sunshine!