Safe Return Doubtful

These travel days are very much means to an end, and certainly the English motorways are the busiest and most stressful I have encountered when driving. Not a lot of fun therefore, so it is necessary to insert small moments of amusement, to look forward to amidst the usual drudge of the journey, worsened these two days by heavy rain.

Lancashire County Cricket was washed out today, but the Rugby World Cup podcasts and a couple of others I follow (Classic Ghost Stories, Dylan Album by Album) just about made up for that.

But yesterday morning, after an early drenching walking Roja to Shap Sewage Treatment Works, I was off for lunch with my niece and nephew, Cameron and Annabelle, over from Texas at the moment. They are my brother Nigel’s children, but 22 and 18 years old respectively now, and here with Nigel’s first wife, Angela, who I know well of course, and her husband Ben. We had a good lunch in Wetherall reminiscing on so much fun in Texas, and our various Christmas visits, San Antonio, New Orleans, Austin, in Christmases past.

Then it was a quick pop in to one of my favourite bookshops, Bookends in Carlisle, which has an excellent second hand shop adjoined, to pick up a copy of my good freinds’ book, Extraordinary Places By Bike, hot off the shelves. Hugh and Pauline Simmons have been anticipating the book’s publishing for a while now, and having ‘tested’ a chapter for them I am looking forward to it almost as much as they are.

With my appointment at Hexham Hospital tomorrow morning, I had planned to stay at the Roman Fort of Vindaland, hoping for a good walk in the early evening, and early morning. As great a place to stay as it was, they allow vans for a £5 donation to the National Park, it was hammering down, both in the evening, and the morning, and the night as well, so our hikes were quite brief.

To say the appointment didn’t go as well as I hoped is an understatement. Penrith hadn’t sent the MRI or X Ray through, so the X Ray had to be retaken, and apparently the guy said, no need for an MRI (so what a waste of time and money in the first place). I was then seeing the person equivalent to the same one I had seen in Penrith in January, and went through exactly the same stuff. In January I was told to expect a wait of about 8 months, today, the guy had no record of that meeting, so the wait begins again, this time he estimates, 12 months.

I’ve written to both Cumbria and Northumbria Healthcare, and will see what they say. They do both seem to be in something of a mess though at the moment.

It does however, mean I can get on with travelling, just with a limp, and sticks.. I only really need to home 15th February for the MOT on the van, so it will be an exciting winter. I have some ideas, and will think them over in the next days, but initially, I’m heading to the Dinaric Alps.

The journey was then a 7 hour one down the A1(M) which went as well as could be hoped, except for the M25 at the Dartford Crossing. I knew there was a hold up there, but rather than deviate through London, I opted to sit it out, and in the end I think that was best. Originally it showed as a 2 hour delay, as I joined the M11, but in the end it was only about half an hour.

I’m parked up at a great place also, just 20 minutes from Folkestone, Wye Downs Nature Reserve Car Park. Again it seems, England is catching on to campervan hospitality, the car park offers the night for a £3 donation, either in the cash box, or by telephone magic. There is good walking to, quiet, good paths, and the claim of the ‘best view in Kent’.