It was almost a year ago that Brunnehilda and I were in Northumberland - the end of Sept ‘21. It was my first trip on my own since the horrible baptism of fire to Woolacombe in August! I had one dog in tow last year, I have both crazy collies on this trip. It’ll be interesting to see how I get on and feel this year.
As always I was dreading the preparation, hooking up and journey. I don’t know why but it’s always the worst bit and I’m very conscious that I could easily find an excuse at this stage to abort! Thankfully I don’t as I keep my eye on the prize - the nice time I have once I’m there and settled.
After some fabulous backing skills (even if I do say do myself!), I was hooked up in record time. The mirror and brake checking are a bloody pain and a drawn out process on your Todd! I missed Charlie, my travel companion on the last trip!
On the road by 10.40. The trip computer says 250 miles and 4 hours - yeh right, that doesn’t factor in towing a big lump of German metal behind you!
After 2 1/2 hours in to an uneventful journey I stopped at Wetherby Services, which I reckoned to be about half way. I had the usual bad luck finding a caravan parking space (it’s a very busy services) so ended up with the HGVs. Had a quick chat with a lovely Yorkshire lady truck driver. I asked her for some reversing lessons and she suggested it was nothing that 10 years of practice couldn’t solve!
Got myself a Pret and ended up in the queue with John Cooper Clarke. What a thrill - I bloody love his bloody poetry and he’s always such a hoot on “Would I Lie to you”. I didn’t have the balls to speak to him so I left him and his mate to enjoy their Pret in peace.
I took the dogs for a quick leg stretch and drink before getting on the road again. Another great journey with no dramas arriving at Embleton Bay CL site at just before 5pm.
I started to back into the space - very badly- then heard Kim telling me not to be so stupid. To quote her, why have a dog and bark yourself - use the bloody motor mover. So I did, except the bloody batteries in the remote had run out!
A neighbour (in a brand new Volvo XC60) came to my rescue when he saw me scratching around to find a spare battery. He didn’t have one but he came up with the bright idea to pinch the one from the fire alarm. Great idea, it worked and I manoeuvred the old girl into place. Then had a nice long chat with him. Turns out he and his wife have just retired and are travelling - sounded familiar!? Comes from south Manchester. Very friendly, like most Northern Caravaners!
I set up really quickly once the battery thing was sorted. This site has water taps by the pitches so filling Brunnehilda up was very quick and easy. I was heading for the beach with the dogs by 5.45.
I drove through the village to Dunstan Steads- the access to Embleton Bay beach and about a 5 minute drive from the site. We walked across the golf course to access the beach and there it was - just as I remembered, bloody marvellous.
The dogs had a crazy time running off the stresses of 6 hours in the boot of a Volvo! It was a smashing hour long walk along the beach and back through the dunes between the golf course and beach. Just a few folks around, certainly not enough to cramp our style in any way! The sea was amazing. The noise, the smell, the vistas … it was all just perfect. With one obvious flaw - the fact I was enjoying it with dumb and dumber and not the person that should have been there with me!
Grief is such a strange thing. Someone said, it’s doesn’t get any smaller, it’s just that other stuff gets bigger! Im not sure but I do know that everyone is different and as I walked along that beautiful beach I decided to myself that a year on hadn’t made a lot of difference to how I was feeling. Although there was one slight but maybe significant change that came to mind - I don’t feel up to sharing that at the moment! Don’t know why though?
The sun was going down very quickly so we headed back to Brunnehilda. Both my neighbours were out / at the village pub I think - I saw a new Volvo XC60 parked outside as I drove by! So we had the field to ourselves - they had a run around and had their tea while I sat outside with my book, a Belgian Beer and a couple of Twix bars!
Indian microwave ready meal for tea for me. I enjoyed it while watching an episode of The Waltons - another Brunnehilda tradition. I was just starting to feel a bit down when Bobby rang. Perfect timing and perked me up. Although Brunnehilda’s big German bed was beckoning so I went to bed to listen to Spots and do some blogging. Thom rang before I’d finished so had another nice chat before settling down.
One big difference to last year, is that I really couldn’t listen to music a year ago. I had Spots on for most of the journey up the M/A1 which was nice. I turned onto Radio 2 for the last hour or so - big mistake. Due to the “occasion” they are playing lots of sad songs. After Let it Be, Annie’s Song and then She’s Always a Woman, I was welling up a bit. The power of music - and bloody John Denver for God’s sake!?
The Queen’s funeral tomorrow - I suspect I’ll be one of a select number of folks in the Uk that won’t be watching!
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