Flagg - Peak District

Nido's parked up on a CL in the village of Flagg in the Peak District.  We slept well last night on our new mattress topper (highlight of our week!) and after breakfast left the Britstop and drove back to the Sainsbury's we visited last night to get a few food items.

It only took about half an hour to drive here.  There were already four caravans on site, using up all the hard standings.  I pulled over and went to the cottage to check in with the owner.  She seemed surprised that we were in a campervan (it is the Caravan Club after all!).  With all four hard standing pitches taken, she suggested we 'pitched' on the track that encircles the site, in case we messed up the grass.  I thought to myself why not just add one more hard standing, after all CLs are meant to be a maximum of five pitches anyway.  But I bit my tongue, nodded, thanked her and drove around to reverse onto the grass in a flattish area so I could reach the EHU point.  I had no wish to block the driveway for other CL users and hadn't paid £12 to park there with little outside space or easy access to hook up!

Cathy sorted out our picnic and made a flask for our tea, while I hooked us up to electric and grabbed rucksacks and walking boots from the back of the van.  We were soon heading off on a 6 mile walk via the villages of Taddington and Chelmorton.  It took us through fields and over stiles built into the dry stone walls.  It was a bit misty when we left but gradually brightened and warmed up.  We had our lunch in Chelmorton before walking back in a cooler and fresher wind.  Back at the van I unpacked while Cathy soaked her muddy feet in the purple bucket filled with hot water - she'd worn walking sandals.  I set up the iBoost which worked well for an hour or so before losing contact - I think it might be that the BT Wifi with Fon kicks us out after a certain period of time - and no amount of coercing would make it reconnect. 

We could hear the unusual sound of an owl in the afternoon sun - maybe it's an owl who's afraid of the dark - that would be a great title for a children's book! Once Cathy was done sitting outside (ie she had cleaned her dirty feed in the purple bucket!), we shut the door and popped on the heating for a quiet night in, just chilling out.  I cooked a southern pepper chicken curry from a curry kit Nicola and Chris bought for my birthday - very tasty and easy to cook in Oska. The rest of our evening was spent reading and enjoying the peace and quiet.

Nice pitch on the CL - until the sap from the trees descended

Small farming enclosures - several hundred years old

Britstop 607

We're parked up in the car park of Britstop 607 - pub - between Macclesfield and Leek.  In line with the Britstop rules, we only give the number to ensure only members know where it is - if you want to know more you'll need to buy the book!  It took us about an hour from picking up El Nido to arriving. I rang the pub earlier in the day and was reassured that they knew about Britstops (the last one we tried said they didn't even though they were in the book!) and had space.  I parked up in the far corner and we walked in ready for something to eat.   The welcome from both staff and the few locals at the bar was warm, but we then found out they didn't yet have a working PDQ machine due to a very recent change in landlord, so we could only pay in cash. We didn't have enough so we had to drive off again to the Sainsbury's superstore a few miles down the road, grab some money from the ATM and return to our old parking spot.

Money in hand I ordered some drinks while we looked at the menu - Cathy had a steak and I went for the house burger, which was homemade and delicious.  After a chat, a couple of drinks and well fed, we said our goodnights and returned to the van.  We'd bought a duvalay memory foam mattress topper for our double bed and we're looking forward to a warmer and more comfortable night's sleep - rock and roll lifestyle!