Grand Time in Grantown-on-Spey

In August we took Vannie for a little trip up North to visit the special place that is Speyside. We based ourselves at Grantown-on-Spey Caravan Park in order to experience some of the wonderful scenery, wildlife and activities this area has to offer.
Our first afternoon was spent getting set up at the caravan park before heading out for an evening stroll through Grantown, ending up at the Grant Arms for a couple of drinks.
The next morning our adventure started in earnest with a white-knuckle ride on the 34 bus to Aviemore. Forget all the roller-coasters and scary rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach; if you are a real thrill-seeker get on a 34 bus (which was running 10 minutes late) as it winds its way through narrow lanes bordered by great trees and deep lochs, dodging on-coming traffic in order to get to Aviemore on time.
Luckily we were heading to Aviemore for a much more sedate activity; a ride on the Strathspey Steam Railway. We even had time to have a relaxing coffee before going to the platform to watch the steam engine arrive:

Steam Engine arriving at Aviemore Station

The engine had to reverse and couple up to the carriages in order to form the train and I recorded this activity before we boarded the train:

I think the engine driver was 'well chuffed' with his very controlled reversing:

Excellent Reversing Technique

Well Chuffed!

Maybe that's where the saying originated from........... a steam engine driver pleased with the way he chuffed his engine in to place?
In case you are interested the engine was named after the engineer who oversaw its restoration:

Steam Engine 'E.V. Cooper Engineer'

After a successful engine-coupling it was all-aboard and we were off:

Moira on the Steam Train in Aviemore

And so we embarked on our steam-driven journey from Aviemore to Broomhill Station (or Glenbogle Station, if you are a fan of the TV show Monarch of the Glen) via Boat of Garten. Here are some of the views from our journey:

Old Diesels in Aviemore Yard

Clouds over The Cairngorms

Carriages at Boat of Garten (in need of restoration)

Boat of Garten Station (note old railway crane)

Speyside View

Weather was a bit showery but we were warm and dry and the clouds made the views more atmospheric!
When we returned to Aviemore we grabbed a bite of lunch and had a general root around the town before getting the bus back to Grantown (which was a bit less frantic than our morning bus ride). That night and most of the early hours of the next morning it rained really heavily. In the motorhome the rain always sounds worse than it is but it was really, really bad and rivers of water were running down the roads of the caravan park. We were lucky to be a couple of feet off the ground and also lucky the water running down the road flowed past our awning without getting in to it. We didn't get much sleep that night for the rain, thunder and lightning, but we survived.
The next morning we decided to stay local and after breakfast we took a walk down to Anagach Woods, which stretch along the South side of Grantown and are bordered by the River Spey. With all the rain the previous night the river was quite swollen:

Swollen River Spey

River Spey in Spate

Unusual to see it so deep and fast-flowing at this time of year, this short video should give you a better idea of the force of the water flowing past:

Anyway the worst of the storm was over and we only had some light drizzle to contend with so we carried on with our walk through the woods:

Path Through Anagach Woods

At this point we came across a group of small birds flitting about in the branches of a nearby tree. It was very hard to get a good view of them............ however by their size and movement I had a inkling that they were Goldcrest............. the UK's smallest breeding bird. They made a brief appearance in a gap between the branches and I managed to catch them on video:

A lovely little bird, and you can clearly see why they are called Goldcrest.
They are not incredibly rare but are hard to see as they are so small and spend most of their time high up in the branches; their cousin the Firecrest is a much rarer bird in the UK.
We pushed on through the woodland:

Moira in Anagach Woods

Our perseverance was rewarded with a good view of Roe Deer as it chomped its way through the leaves of Blaeberries growing in the woods:

It was certainly keeping a wary eye on us, but nor too bothered that we were there, as long as we kept our distance.
We were on the homeward stretch now, just a bit more long-and-winding path to negotiate:

Eddie on the Long and Winding Path 

It was a very enjoyable walk despite the damp conditions and we enjoyed a relaxing lunch in Maclean's Bakery afterwards. The rest of that day was spent relaxing at the caravan park before going out for a lovely evening meal at the Grant Arms Hotel; followed by a couple of nice whiskies in their well-stocked bar.
There was some more rain overnight, but not as bad as the previous evening, and we awoke to a cloudy but dry morning. We decided to stay local and explore the disused railway line at the back of the caravan park, which now forms part of a walking route called the Dava Way.
The Dava Way runs from Grantown-on-Spey to Forres and is about 22 miles long.................. though we only walked a couple of miles of the route.

Old Railway Bridge at start of Dava Way

After climbing the steps at the old railway bridge we were able to look back towards the caravan park and Grantown-on-Spey (we were even able to pick out our own motorhome):

Grantown-on-Spey Caravan Park

Vannie at Grantown

We continued north along the old railway line, which cuts through woodlands and solid granite rocks before opening up to more level ground.

Dava Way passing through Woodland

Cutting through Granite on The Dava Way

In the cutting everything was still quite damp after all the rain we had in previous days:

Small Waterfall in Dava Way Cutting

Moss growing on vertical slab of Granite

Thistle growing in Dava Way Cutting

Despite the damp conditions there was still plenty of insects and butterflies flying around, including this pretty little Scotch Argus which stopped long enough to be filmed:

When we got through to the other side of the cutting the pathway 'opened up' and there was more light........... and more wildlife to enjoy:

The Dava Way

Moira on the Dava Way

View from the Dava Way

Here are a few pics of some lovely wildflowers we saw along this stretch of the track:

Harebell and Cat's-ear

Sheep's-bit Scabious

Rosebay Willowherb

Harebell

Eyebright

With all these wildflowers there was also plenty of nectar-seeking insects, bees and butterflies to be seen, including this Drone Fly (which can easily mistaken for a Honey-Bee):

There were also plenty of wild Raspberry plants bearing tasty fruit along the side of the track .............mmmm!!

Wild Raspberries

After a while we turned around and headed back along the track towards the Caravan Park:

Heading back along the Dava Way

As we passed back along the cutting through the granite rock we noticed a bit of movement in the grass at the side of the track. I turned out to be Mr Toad who was out for a little walk/hop:

Back at the motorhome we reflected on the fact that we had a good time and saw some great wildlife......... despite the wet weather. It only goes to show that if you get out there, no matter whether it is rain or shine, you will nearly always see something of interest.
On that philosophical note I will leave you.......

Take Care,

Teddyedward

Bellin'jum and Barny

Last month we took a little trip down to the Northeast of England to visit campsites in Northumberland and County Durham.
Our first stop was at Bellingham Caravan Park (pronounced Bellin'jum) and this is an area I spent quite a bit of time in about 35 years ago when I was involved in the installation of the generating equipment at Kielder Power Station.
It is a lovely area around the caravan park, country roads, hay meadows and rolling hills:

View from Bellingham Caravan Park

Hay Meadows and Rolling Hills

Country Roads and Fields

Roadside Roses

There were lots of nice birds to see in and around the caravan park including Pied Wagtail, Song Thrush, Blackbird and this Greenfinch which insisted in greeting us from its favourite perch everytime we walked past:

The town of Bellingham was only a twenty minute walk down from the campsite and it was one of the first places we visited. We took the option of a short riverside walk for the last part of the journey; the river in question is the North Tyne, fed by the waters of Kielder Reservoir (Britain's largest man-made lake):

Bridge to Bellingham over North Tyne River

Moira on Riverside Walk to Bellingham

River North Tyne going round the bend

Approaching Bellingham from Riverside Walk

Liverpool Close?

Bellingham is a lovely little village........ not much has changed from what I remember from 35 years ago........... except that the pub I use to drink in is now someone's house (there are still plenty of other pubs).
The little museum at the heritage centre is well worth a visit, as is the adjacent cafe which is formed of two old railway carriages sitting at the disused railway platform and is unsurprisingly called Carriages Tea Room. The grub is good and if you can get a view of the bird feeder from your window then there are plenty of sparrows to entertain you:

There is also a riverside path on the upstream side of the bridge over the River North Tyne (heading out of Bellingham) and we had an enjoyable walk along this route as well:

River North Tyne, upstream of Bellingham Bridge

Bellingham Bridge over North Tyne

Riverside Walk Through Trees

Riverside Walk Through Grassland

It was a very pleasant walk with lots to see, including some great wildflowers growing alongside the path:

Foxglove by the river

Stand of Melancholy Thistle, Nettles and Umbellifer

Meadow Cranesbill

There were also some good birds to see and hear such as Sand Martins, Great Tits, Blue Tits and even a pair of Common Sandpipers on the opposite bank of the river (well spotted Moira!):

On this riverside walk we passed the Riverdale Hall Hotel, which is the place I stayed in for a few months when I worked at Kielder Power Station. It is quite a plush country hotel and restaurant now but it wasn't like that when I stayed there 35 years ago. It was just starting to be developed from a country house to a hotel and some parts where pretty run-down, but now it looks like this:

Riverdale Hall Hotel (complete with vintage tractor)

Riverbank near Riverdale Hall Hotel

Too posh for me now!
Bellingham Caravan Park sits on the edge of Northumberland National Park and The Pennine Way also runs right past the site. We took a short walk along part of the Pennine Way......... which runs from Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders all the way south to Edale in Derbyshire........... in fact it was a very short walk, probably less than a mile:

Entrance to Pennine Way (campsite just behind trees)

Part of the Pennine Way

It was a bit warm that day and we weren't really dressed for walking long distances on rough paths ( or fit enough) but we did enjoy our short walk and even saw some wildlife, such as this Buzzard:

Later on I went for a walk down a nearby little road known as the 68 (no A or B road, just the 68) which took me in to Northumberland National Park:

Avenue of Trees on The 68

Entering Northumberland National Park

View from The 68 back to Campsite

View across Hay Meadows and Hills from The 68

As well as the beautiful views of wildflowers in the hay meadows and the rolling hills this little road also heads slightly uphill to more rugged moorland; so I was duty bound to explore:

The Road to the Moors

I was immediately rewarded with good views (and calls) of an upland specialist, the Meadow Pipit:

Okay there was also the call of a horse in my video, so don't confuse it with the Meadow Pipit.
Several Swallows were zooming around over the fields and over my head, I tried to video them but they were far too fast, luckily however one perched on the rails of a hay feeder for a few precious seconds:

I ventured a little further up the hill and was rewarded with some cracking views:

View back down the road

View over the Dry Stane Dyke

Foxgloves and Valley View

This little panoramic video probably gives you a better idea of the cracking views I had:

As I was taking photographs and video I heard an almighty crashing sound coming from the woods behind me; I turned around half expecting a Grizzly Bear or a Rhino to come charging out of the woods towards me. Instead there was this creature:

Reminded me of the old Scottish joke:
Three coos in a field, which one is on holiday?
The one with the wee calf!

Probably best forgotten.
Anyway I made my way back down the hill and headed towards the caravan park, passing some lovely hay meadows full of wildflowers:

Wildflowers and Grasses by the Road Verge

Just before I reached the caravan park I noticed a bird of prey taking to the air whilst being mobbed by some Swifts:

It looked like a Kestrel to me.
A fine end to our visit to Bellin'jum.

The next destination on our Northern England trip was to Barnard Castle, which we have been to a couple of times previously, but always enjoy visiting.
I have covered what's to see in Barnard Castle itself in previous blogs (such as August 2017) so I won't bore you with that again. Instead I will concentrate on the area around the caravan park, which is mostly upland farmland and has a wide variety of birds to enjoy.
After arriving, getting the motorhome set up and having a bite to eat we headed out the campsite for an evening stroll. You only have to venture a few yards from the campsite to be right in the middle of the countryside:

Country Lane near Barnard Castle Caravan Park

Dramatic Evening Skies

On this first evening walk we were greeted by an alarming Curlew, which we had previously been foraging in a recently cut hay meadow when we walked past:

Curlew Overhead

Anytime we walked down this direction over the next few days the Curlew would take to the air and sound the alarm call. It may have been in different fields each time but was so predictable that I even managed to capture it on video:

The Curlew didn't even appear to be defending a nest or any young as it was in a different place each time, it just seemed to be easily spooked and very noisy.
On our evening walk we met some other noisy neighbours; a flock of Jackdaws returning to their roost for the night:

Not quite enough of them to call it a murmuration, but a spectacle none the less.
The next day we took a trip in to the town of Barnard Castle, did some shopping, had a bit of lunch, visited the Bowes Museum and generally had a good time. We have been to the Bowes Museum before and would recommend it to anybody visiting the area. On this occasion it was hosting a Lego exhibition where many of its own exhibits were replicated in Lego bricks, as well as a Lego version of the museum itself. See what you think:

Lego Bowes

Real Bowes

Pretty impressive eh?
The following day we decided to explore the area near the caravan park by taking a walk through the country lanes and a disused railway track to the village of Lartington. We had no sooner left the caravan park when we spotted a pair of Mistle Thrush in the field where we first saw the alarming Curlew:

We carried on along the track to one of my favourite birding spots, a little lane which runs between an avenue of trees:

Birding Alley

This lane is always good for birds, in fact back in 2017 we spotted a family of Spotted Flycatchers and a juvenile Redstart here. It was no different this time with plenty of small birds flitting around the hedges, trees and stone walls............ including this juvenile (or female) Redstart:

Better was yet to come, as we left 'Birding Alley' Moira spotted a brightly coloured bird in a nearby field boundary hedge. I managed to get on to it with my camcorder but it was quite far away and a bit shaky. It then flew  up in to the top of a tree which was slightly nearer and I managed to get a better view of it:

It was a male Redstart in full summer breeding plumage........... fantastic!
We continued on our walk, along the lane with the impressive Oak trees, passed the old caravan and through the fields of sheep and cattle until we reached the disused railway line.

Impressive Oak Tree

Nice Caravan

Disused Rail Track to Lartington.

At the old rail track we turned right and headed towards Lartington Village. It was a pleasant walk passing through nice countryside with lots of pretty wildflowers on show:

Wild Country Rose

Ragged Robin Wildflower

There were plenty of insects and butterflies flitting around, a bit too active in the sun for me to photograph, but I did capture this pretty Brimstone Moth:

Brimstone Moth

As we headed down the old railway line towards Lartington we passed through an old cutting:

Old Railway Cutting on Lartington Line

The trees either side of the cutting had plenty of birds in them, but they seemed to be flitting about all the time. The closer we got to them the more they moved further down the track......... I finally managed to get close enough to one bird to video it:

I think it is a Willow Warbler, quite difficult to distinguish from a Chiffchaff until you hear them singing, this one however was silent.

Well that about concludes our trip down to the North of England, an enjoyable trip, hope I didn't bore you too much with my ramblings.

Take Care

Teddyedward