‘Jotown’ to the Rescue…!

The wind had died down quite well overnight, and a sunny sky greeted me as I looked out, so, move I thought, the worst of the weather is gone now…?

So,shortly after 9 a.m. I set off from the campsite at Scarborough, not quite sure where I was destined for that night, but with several possibilities in mind.

I had only been going a few minutes, when at the side of the road I saw a car with smoke/steam coming from the engine, a woman looking like she didn’t know what was happening, and an elderly lady alongside her, sat in a wheelchair. Amazingly even though it was a busy ‘A’ road no one had stopped to help. I turned Wally around, and drove to the rear of the car, and pulled up on the grass verge. The ladies were from Nottingham, up on holiday and on their way to Whitby – amazingly no one had stopped to check if they were OK – they weren’t, it was raining , the lady in the wheelchair was getting soaked and cold, and the driver (her daughter) couldn’t get a signal on her phone. I got them both out of the rain, and into Wally, where they used my phone to ring the RAC, who because of the disabled lady’s presence were there within a short time – although probably still an hour. The RAC man towed their car to a nearby lay-by for safety, and was arranging a transfer car for them as I left… my good deed for the day, we all need one sometimes don’t we ?

I then drove around the famous Robin Hood Bay,http://www.robin-hoods-bay.co.uk/  one end of the ‘Coast to Coast’ walk, and towards Whitby,  briefly stopping outside Whitby Abbey, http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/whitby-abbey/but at £6 entrance….I didn’t go in.

Then it was through the wilds of Durham, skirting Teeside and to Hamsterley Forest, where there were a couple of bike trails I had wanted to do. However it was belting down with rain , again, and I couldn’t find anywhere to stop overnight, so continued through County Durham, eventually by mid afternoon arriving in Kielder Forest.http://www.visitkielder.com/  The Lake here is the biggest man made Lake in Europe, and the black skies were helping to fill it !

I did find the local campsite, but, at £16 a night, for a dirty muddy field…’I’m only a pensioner’- I decided to find a wildcamp somewhere. I located a car park to an observatory, and ‘Skyspace’ interactive art structure, which seemed ideal for the night.

I did go up to the ‘Skyspace’ exhibit, http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/ourwoods.nsf/LUWebDocsByKey/EnglandNorthumberlandKielderKielderKielderCastleForestParkCentreSkyspace but the information said it was best experienced at dawn or dusk…..and, as it’s raining again, seems useless to go for dusk, although I may try for the dawn opportunity – if I can wake in time.

So, here I am, wild and windy Kielder Forest, no phone signal,no lights visible….should be a wild one – Goodnight !