Still early days but we’ve been on the road for one month now so time for an update and reflection on how things are going. The main thing for us to realise at this point is that Treacle is getting older each day and we are now trying to limit her walks to between 4 and 5 miles a day – still impressive for her age but we have to bear this in mind when making our daily plans.
Having visited friends and family in Yorkshire we had to head west back home to Manchester due to some pre-arranged appointments. This enabled us to visit some family in the area before heading further west to St. Helens to help out Uncle Ken with some house clearing.
After a flying visit westward we decided to head up to Cumbria for a while. That’s our next stop after a stop-over in Chorley. We will check-in places on Facebook as we travel so keep tuned. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who follow our Facebook posts, it’s nice to know people are still interested in our travels.
So what have we learnt so far? Most importantly we’ve proved to ourselves that we are able to adapt to rapidly changing conditions and situations. We often find ourselves not knowing where we will be calling home from one day to the next, but in a short space of time we’ve got much better and quicker at finding campsites or places to stay – that includes motorway services car parks for 24 hours to bridge a gap.
We’ve learnt that Treacle will quickly settle anywhere and that people talk to you more when you have a dog. That clearly shouldn’t matter but we’ve realised that in general people do like to chat and having a dog seems for many to be a reason to start a conversation.
I have installed some front window wind deflectors on the van, not for the reason they were designed but because should we be parked up on a site in the rain we can drop the front van windows a couple of inches for ventilation without rain getting into the van, another example of thinking outside the box.
So is everything rosie? Well we did find ourselves on a campsite at one point that after a few days attracted some particularly unwelcome travellers. Simple answer, move. We packed up and left a day early. That’s one of the benefits of not having a fixed plan, having the flexibility to make changes when they become necessary.
In fairness the majority of sites have been great and we are enjoying visiting all sorts of new places we wouldn’t normally have had the opportunity to explore. Most people we have met have been a joy to chat to and we’ve managed to walk away from those less pleasant. Life’s like that, you take the good with the bad.
to be continued…
As you say Babes it’s early days yet but it has been great to visit different places and see some lovely scenery even if one of those stunning scenes was after a wrong turn! 🤣
I’m so glad Treacle managed to join us on the start of our journey, she’s been such a star and who knew she’d love pubs just as much as we do – although that may have something to do with the occasional crumb she finds on the floor 😜
Love you both. Enjoy your life, it is really important.
xxx
Thank you mother, we couldn’t agree more.
Sounds great fun, really good to hear all your news and hoping you will visit Cornwall . Lots of love to you both and a big hug for Treacle love Aunty Annie and Uncle Micky 🤗😘❤️😘🤗💐
Thank you both, we are settling in to our adventure. We plan a trip to Cornwall to see you guys later in the year, we will let you know once we have a date.
Lots of Love and hugs xx
“Well we did find ourselves on a campsite at one point that after a few days attracted some particularly unwelcome travellers”
But is the driveway to the campsite nicely tarmacadamed now?
Enjoy yourselves, sounds like a great time the three of you are having.
Yeah we’re enjoying our travels and seeing the sights.
Many thanks to both of you for the time and effort that you put in clearing out the fifty three years worth of detritus and transferring it all to my garage.
Lots of love
Uncle Ken
You’re welcome Uncle Ken, it was worth the sore back for a couple of days to see the loft empty. Thanks for the hospitality. No doubt we’ll be calling again at some point on our travels but no loft visits will be needed on that occasion 😉👍
Take care, love Stephen and Annette x
Hello special people 🥰 I loved reading your update. You carry on with your great adventure. Sending biggest hugs to all three of you xx Mel and Dave
Thanks Hun, glad you enjoyed the update.
Sending you and your unit big hugs. Love from us three xx 😘
We are really glad things are going, and enjoy your news emails.
Lots of love and hugs Auntie Ruth and Uncle John x x
Thanks Auntie Ruth and Uncle John, glad you are enjoying the updates. No doubt we will get to your neck of the woods later in the year and will have a good catch up.
Take care, love and hugs from us all 😘🙂 xx
Met Stephen and Annette today in the marina café in Maryport. Lovely couple loved hearing about their travels and future plans. Ste you have done a marvellous job on the van. Really admire you both for taking on your new life hope everything goes brilliant for you. Looking forward to following your journey hope Treacle keeps up with the walks she’s doing marvellous for her age. Nice chatting with you both. Les & Marie.
Hey guys, really nice chat this morning and thanks for your kind words. We’re just outside Carlisle now and plan to visit the castle and park you recommended. We hope you get your van ready for when you can resume your own adventures. It was so good to talk to people who share our enthusiasm for travel and love of dogs.
Thanks for posting and your interest in our madness 🙂