Vanlife Road Trip - Part 16: Glen Etive to Devon
24 - 28 October 2021
After leaving the beautiful mountain scape of Glen Etive, we were back on the road heading South. The weather had certainly taken a turn for the worst, and the views we enjoyed on our drive up were now hidden behind a blanket of mizzle.
We stopped at The Green Welly Stop on the A82, not far from Glen Orchy and the avenue of waterfalls we had enjoyed months earlier. Time felt strange, as if we'd passed by only days before, but the weather was a harsh reality that those long summer days were now behind us.
Tummies full, bladders empty and dog legs stretched, we ploughed on towards the depressing sights and sounds of the M74 and the busy outskirts of Glasgow. The motorway was heaving and after stop start driving through the rain for hours, we decided we could go no further.
After a spot of Park4Night stalking, I found a park up not far from Moffat in Earshaig Forest. The drive was a little precarious and narrow, but after some of my recent adventures, it was fine! We arrived in pitch black to find the car park full as there was a night run on... however, a little forest track looked promising so off I headed...
A hundred meters in I realised it wasn't a great idea and we had to spin around in a rather sludgy and slippery turning area where the mud must have been 2 foot deep. Whoops!
However, there was thankfully space on the side of the track and the very nice van pulled in let us drive in right behind him for the night, so we all fit.
We set off early to try and crack the traffic issues, and soon we were flying south towards the Lakes and a van date with Alex at High Dam.
We mooched up to High Dam - one of my favourite spots in the South Lakes; you may remember it from my time with Lorna in my previous Lake blog - and took Alex for his first ever wild swim.
The weather may not have been the best, but the water felt great and it was so wonderful to share our love of the water with a newbie.
We walked back to the vans and got a van convoy going to Ulverston and onwards to our park up for the night overlooking the beautiful Morecombe Bay from Bardsea. We enjoyed dinner out on the deck, a few beers and the chance to chat vans, adventures and life on the road.
It was so lovely to meet Alex, show him the wild swimming ropes and share our experiences of vanlife. A genuinely nice chap, despite his love of Tabasco on Nutella for his pancake topping! This is why I love vanlife so much; you get to meet such amazing people.
After saying goodbye to Alex; George and I mooched across to Barrow-in-Furness, as we had a date with a swimming pool, sauna and hot shower! After enjoying Lorna's guest passes at the gym, we made our way to Furness Abbey, where we strolled around the lovely Abbey and woods before settling in for the night.
We arrived at Lorna's the next afternoon in time for a delicious dinner, some much needed clothes washing, and a play with puppy Poppy. It was only a short visit this time and the weather was horrendous, but we made the most of the time by heading to the dunes at Roanhead Beach with Lorna and al the doggies for some dune boarding.
Now, if you've not tried this sport, go grab a board and have a go... it's so much fun. Despite the damp sand and even damper sky, we clambered up the dunes and sledged, rode, fell down them. Laughter filled the air, some other damp walkers gave us a funny look, and the dogs loved running up and down the sand after us.
Soaked through, we headed back to the house for a warm shower and dry clothes before a movie, doggy snuggles and a take away. Bliss.
It was time for a final goodbye to Lorna and Martin... both had been a huge part of my journey over the past 5 months and it was sad to finally say cheerio. But I knew I'd be back and see them again next summer.
We set off early but soon were stuck in more awful traffic trying to get to God's own County (that's Devon by the way)! After 10 hours of driving I decided I'd had enough and we pulled in to Tewksbury for the night.
The river was rather high at Lower Lode but we deemed it safe enough alongside the River Severn for the night. It's a lovely spot for the night as it's right on the waters edge, in fact you could swim or SUP across to the awesome Lower Lode Inn on the other side if the mood took you! It was too late for that, so we walked the dogs and crashed for the night.
The next day I felt like death warmed up but there were still more than a 100miles to go until I was back in Devon for a few days before starting back at work.
At Bristol services, we pulled in for a drink and it was time to say goodbye to George for now. It seemed weird not having her following me around like a lost puppy, and I kept worrying I'd lost her due to driving too fast! But no, she was off to visit some friends before finishing the final leg to Devon.
I rolled into the farm feeling as sick as a dog; said hi to the cows and Farmer Nick and climbed straight in to bed... here I stayed for the next few days full of flu and grateful of having somewhere safe to park up and not having to move my house on wheels until I was well again.
Not the exciting end to my adventures I had planned, but then after so long on the road, living life to the full, it was no surprise that my body suddenly decided it had had enough and wanted a lie down!
So, there we have it; 137 days on the road visiting some of the most stunning places in northern England and Scotland, on what became a trip more magical and breath taking then I ever imagined it would be.
There was still so much to see; waterfalls to find, mountains to climb, beaches to surf and rivers to swim in, but I knew I'd be heading north again soon, to continue the adventures...
Here are a few of my favourite memories...
Thank you to everyone who chatted to me on my journey, helped me out with hot showers, water and laundry facilities and most of all to George for making Scotland extra magical.
Until next time...
Video accompanying High Dam swim:
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