Holiday

We set off in the bus for Northumberland and a road trip this week. 

The boys were super excited.

We had a long drive and an overnight stop in Rothbury, where we we the quiet pubs entertainment.

In the morning we set off early to miss the tide and cross the causeway to Lindesfarne.

In the church yard.

We had a good mooch round the Abbey ruins.

Inside the church, we liked this sculpture made of driftwood.

Then we walked the cliff tops and admired the view.

There was also an archeological dig in progress, so we stopped to look and listen to what was going on. 

Down the cliffs wildlife spotting, then back into the village to wander around. We made sure we got across the causeway before the tide came in so we could travel onwards. We were looking for a campsite for the night.

We got to the campsite early afternoon and settled in. It was a lovely spot and we were delighted to find the field opposite had hares!

A few minutes down the road was a great pub, so we went for a meal there.

Then back to the van for an early night, it was very peaceful and we all slept well. Once breakfast was done, we packed up and headed to Bamburgh. You are hard pressed to find a drive that isn't stunning round here, the place is steeped in history, there are towers and castle everywhere, not to mention beautiful beaches.

We stopped to admire the castle.

 And the views from the top.

Then wandered through the sand dunes to the beach.

It was very warm and we aged on the beach until we were hungry.

Sam and I by Owens message in the sand. He went to the top of the sand dunes to take an our picture by it.

Owen having a paddle...he was soaked, as he got very carried away in the waves...didn't need his trunks though *obviously* lol.

Sam was a little anxious about Owen going out further but enjoyed a paddle too.

Shadow enjoyed his first trip to the seaside. Sam is doing a ministry of silly walks thing here lol.

After lunch in the van we drove down the coastal road admiring more stunning views. Then stopped at Alnwick castle..which was a fab place with lots to do.

Here's Harry Hotspur...I knew of him from the battle of Shrewsbury.

Out of sequence hares..you can *just * see them.

Playing in Alnwick castle at the court yard.

Sam wand Owen were very excited to recognise Harry Potter backdrops around the grounds. Some of the scenes were filmed here.

We took the opportunity to try archery and all loved it.

So much so, that the boys did two sessions.

Me having a bash 

We did the dragons quest, I was mauled.

We also did the spooky cellar challenge, which the boys found hilarious. The actors taking part were really funny. 

We then started to head South down the East coast road to find a stop for the night. We paused between Stockton and Hartlepool to visit a nature reserve. We saw seals, orchids and many birds.

Over the sand dunes we found a deserted beach and played for a while.

This is a contradictory place. Industrial buildings and works flank either side, so we could see oil rigs and tankers on the horizon.

We were having trouble getting a pitch for the night but in the end found a great pub on the north Yorks border that did food and let us stop over.

In the morning we had breakfast and headed down to Robin Hoods Bay. We drove through Sands End and Whitby and I wish we had stopped at Sands End because it was less busy and the beach was nicer.

There were still stunning views to be had but walking through the crowds down narrow streets was stressful.

We had a good look round the rock pools.

 And Shadow had another paddle.

There was a classic car rally, so we admired some of the cars.

Back in the bus we headed down to Bradford to visit my old college friend. She was busy preparing for a David Hockney Parade. It's his 80th birthday, so we helped out with some of the carnival prep.

This is Hockneys head waiting to be painted. It was part of a huge puppet.

A large sausage dog puppet.

Owen and Sam painting leaves with the other artists.

Trying on dog heads. 

Some of our finished work.

From here we worked our way back to Staffordshire. It was a great trip but Brian and I needed some rest. The children love these trips but it can be hard on the adults to juggle special needs and two dogs . Piggle, despite her age, had coped really well. She slept a lot. Shadow liked the beaches but was a little stressed at times. Also all being in one small space can be hard, especially as one boy hums and talks incessantly ( no names) ..this can be tough for Owen at times...but Sam can't help it so despite being sad at going home, we were also relieved to have our own rooms back.

Blokey wants to do Scotland next, so that's another long drive. I have friends up there too, so hopefully will do a spot of visiting.