2014 A Year of Adventures - Part 1

Seriously - December again, already?!!  Must be my age but time seems to be going quicker and quicker these days.  Someone suggested time goes faster because it takes us longer to do things as we get older which I'm quite inclined to believe.  Or it could be that time flies because we've been busy tearing around having loads of adventures again - and you're certainly never too old to do that!  So where has 2014 taken us?

January

The New Year saw us taking my mum to Hawes - she's 79 and loves waterfalls but god didn't put many of them next to nice easy viewpoints - however in Hawes you can get fab views and a lovely cuppa too.

January was also a month of storms, high tides, beach cleaning at Walney Island and stunning sunsets on the way home.

Extra high tide at Levens

Beach clean at Walney

An hours work...

Nice treat for all our hard work.

February

February saw the last of the storms.  We got off a lot more lightly than Devon, but for Grange-over-Sands this was pretty impressive!

Next up was our first jolly out in Delores for the season - a week in Derbyshire.  We cycled, we walked, we explored many, many caves and we ate a LOT of Bakewell puddings. :-)

Cycling calories...

Central Bakewell

Heights of Abraham

Monsal Head

Speedwell Cavern

March

The first thing we did in March was go to Glasgow so I could audition for a role in the Commonwealth Games.  We'd never been to the city before and had a fabulous time exploring.  Who knew then where it would all lead..?

Howgills looking lovely from the train.

The amazing Waterside Museum

Clyde by night

And then there was one of the most spectacular inversions.  Just me, him and a couple of skylarks above the clouds in the sunshine on Red Screes for the whole day.  Bliss!

Then after a quick pause to enjoy a Windermere Cruise (half price for local residents, very nice!) I did my bit for Cancer Research.  While the rest of the world was taking #barefacedselfies I decided to don full make-up and a tiara and climb Hampsfell.  Looked bonkers but raised over £100.

My usual look...

Hampsfell in Heels

April

Started off fairly sanely in the Langdales with a friend, and ended with us in Kielder. climbing stuff and cycling lots.

Ever get the feeling you're being watched..?

Kielder dawn

Next stop, the Eiger

Art around Kielder

Then, before we'd barely had chance to draw breath, we were off again - to Land's End - for hiking and surfing and and inordinate number of cream teas - oh and we took a zipwire right over the Eden Project.

Knightshayes - the best NT property we've been to yet.

May

First there was Ingleborough, then there was Malham and the amazing Goredale Scar and then there was the tree top trek at Brockhole with the nephews. 

Just love the views from Ingleborough

First time to Malham. Won't be the last.

Goredale Scar took my breath away completely.

Yeah, I wasn't scared at all...

Then it was off to a Camping and Caravanning Club event in Scarborough and a chance to interview the lovely Julia Bradbury before heading off on a walk along the glorious Yorkshire coast.  We finished off with a visit to Bempton Cliffs to catch up on our seabirds.

Julia is the very good looking one on the left...

One of my favourite walks to date.

Gannets.  Lots and lots of Gannets...

June

June started with an interview on the BBC Breakfast sofa all about volunteering.  Not sure what was scariest - the TV cameras or having to wear make up.

June is my birthday month and this year I'd set my heart on seeing the puffins and the terns on the Farne Islands - I wasn't disappointed!

Incoming!

The puffins were MUCH better behaved - and even bought lunch!

Then I stormed Bamburgh Castle - then we got locked in - honest!

On the way home we stopped to explore Corbridge Roman town - utterly stunning!

And then spent a wonderful weekend at Greystoke with me learning to paint while Steve made a longbow.

Da di da di da da daaaa, da di da di daaa da  (Archers - geddit?  :-)  )

Not bad for six months eh?  If you want to see some truly SUPERB pics of our adventures then check out Steve's blog here - and he said he'd given me all his good shots...

I'll do part 2 next week - still loads of adventures and a few surprises to go!

(Here you go - Part 2!)

Saving the best until last

Greystoke Cycle Cafe garden

OK, so I'm a day or so late with this, but that was because I was far too busy yesterday having fun back at the Greystoke Cycle Cafe,  While Steve was doing manly things and making his longbow, I was having a wonderful time on my Pen and Wash course and having a good old poke around inbetween times.

The cafe is owned and run by the wonderful Annie - a woman whose boundless energy and optimism is surpassed only by her thoughtfulness and ingenuity.  The cafe is specifically for cyclists and it has everything those travelling on 2 wheels could possibly ever need - as well as a warm welcome and fabulous, plentiful food you will find cycle pumps, clamps for essential repairs alongside cans of oil, plus jugs of juice and water to refill your bottles as you head off on your way.  And if you happen to turn up and find them closed, worry not, for there is a room of dry towels, hot water bottles, flapjack, tea and coffee which is all covered by your trusted payment into the honesty box.  There really is no other place like this and the many lovely comments in their visitors book show just how valued the cafe is by everyone who visits.

Everything the cyclist needs

Warmth, shelter and flapjack!

But it never rains in Cumbria!

Don't just take my word for it!

But there is way more to this cafe than just being a cafe!  Throughout the year they run an amazing selection of quirky and unusual courses allowing you to learn everything from cheesemaking to stone carving and of course longbow making.  The full list is here - they make perfect birthday or Christmas presents with Annie being sure to send you a lovely message to put inside your card and welcoming everyone personally when they arrive.

Steve will tell you all about his Longbow making course on his own blog, but suffice to say that the course ended with 9 happy men firing their longbows in the field opposite the cafe.

9 happy men and their longbows!

Tony Saunders who runs the Longbow Course and his
fab cheeky Tshirt

The pace of the Pen and Wash course was somewhat more sedate, but the tutor Margaret Jarvis was engaging and talented and soon had us all confidently splashing colour around and creating masterpieces.  The talent within the group was impressive and embarrassing at the same time - I love trying to paint but lack any real talent, though I more than make up for that with my use of colour, lots and lots of colour.  I can always see the picture in my minds eye, it just never makes it out of the end of my hand and on to the paper...

The beginning...

After a few expert tips!

Please don't judge the quality of the tuition by the
standard of my dodgy masterpiece!

Greystoke Cycle Cafe has been there for around 8 years and on a hot sunny Sunday there really is no reason why it shouldn't be packed to the rafters.  During the course we got to sample the many delights of the menu - home made soups (including a foraged and utterly delightful weed soup), home made cordials, fresh scones, puddings to die for and all served with a smile and a friendly word.  It was great watching the expressions of the people stopping by for the first time as they tried to take it all in.

So many people say they're looking for a proper traditional cafe, well here it is.  You can keep your anonymous over priced coffee chains, if there were only more wonderful little gems like this around the world would be a lot nicer place.