We decide to go for a walk after our dossy day yesterday. After half an hour of telling the kids to get ready we set off up the hill to the site entrance, passing the ice cream hut on the way. Obviously the question is asked by our 3 little angels "can we have an ice cream? Maybe later we say. The entrance to Gibraltar farm is just like it says on the sign, a farm with all the farmers' machinery all lined up on the cracked concrete road and the icing on the cake is the stench of silage which the farmer is maturing under hundreds of tyres.
We walk to the corner of wolf house holiday cottage which looks very nice and can sleep 8 apparently. A quick geocache called Teddys' rest and then down the hill to the sign which points to woodwell. A short walk and we arrive at a fenced off pond which is usually good for pond dipping but we didn't have our nets with us. Another geocache and then I need to wash my muddy hands in the pure clean ancient original water source for Silverdale. Apparently this small waterfall and stream was one of the main drinking and washing points for all the ancient Silverdale people and animals, up until the 1940's when mains water arrived here.
We follow a sign saying Silverdale cliff (national trust) there's a map and a blurb about the area. We don't read much of it. We set off along the path following at the bottom of a 50foot cliff and the undergrowth is wet and the rocks are sloppy and the path is becoming narrower and the trees and cliff are making it quite dark. Anyway to cut a long story shorter, all my family are blaming me for the condition of the walk.
The final straw comes when are faced with a barbed wire fence with no obvious way around it. So I have to help them all climb over it, which doesn't cheer them up. We continue on a path which leads to a nice little sign by the national trust saying that we can't continue because the field is private property and we are not allowed! So now we have to turn back and to cap it all it starts to rain. I'm now blamed for the rubbish walk and the weather. Eventually we find our way to a road and walk back to the wolf house gallery which has a nice tea room and art gallery. After looking at the price of the drinks and cake and checking our cash situation, we decide that our £17 isn't enough to buy a drink and cake for us all, so we go to the ice cream hut on the caravan site and buy 5 ice creams for £9. Now I know the lad serving can't help it but he is the most effeminate person I have ever seen and I can't imagine his parents are expecting any grandchildren in their future. Anyway, the ice cream was good and only 2 of my kids dropped theirs on the gravel!
For tea we decide to have an Indian takeaway from the cinnamon spice Indian restaurant in the village. They open at 5.30 so at 5.10 I phone and they are engaged. I eventually place my order at 5.27 and I'm told it will be ready in 30 minutes. At 5.55 we get in the car and drive to the co-op for some supplies and cash back. The restaurant is cash only. There is quite a queue of people waiting for their takeaways, they must have phoned before 5.10 because my order isn't ready for another 30 minutes. The guy behind the counter says they drive from Bradford every day and had got stuck in traffic and the chef had been taking orders but not setting collection times properly so everyone arrived at the same time. Oh well. The food was ok and we scoffed it all back at the caravan.
After this we played a family game of scrabble, my wife won by 3 points. (well done)
Kids went out to play and we finished our dvd from yesterday. We then had another game of scrabble and I won this time. We played boggle for a while then all of a sudden I needed to sleep so I put the bed up and went to sleep to the sounds of everyone moaning that I had gone to bed too early. Zzzzzzzzz
I'm writing this at 6.30am on Sunday after a wonderful nights sleep. I can hear someone snoring in the tent field. Glad I'm not too near that racket in a tent. As I'm writing this, trying to be as quiet as a mouse, my wife says 'Why don't you go around the campsite with a pan and a spoon banging it' I guess I'm not being as quiet as I thought. Not my fault breakfast cereals have crinkly plastic bags inside the glued down boxes and it won't open.quietly. :-)
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| The hill to the exit of Gibraltar Farm, I've driven up this in icy conditions towing our caravan |
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| The steward's pitch, lovely spot they've chosen. |
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| The Silverdale cliff with pinnacle, part of a difficult walk |
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| A walk, to a dead end! National trust, what are you doing? |
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| No rain today, said the weather forecast. This cloud had other ideas. |
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| A lovely transit van photo being spoiled by the sunset. |
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