Yorkshire Dales

 Penistone Hill Country Park

10th May 2026

I set from home today for a few days in the Yorkshire Dales.

I'd planned for May to be a trip doing the North Coast 500 around the top of Scotland, but life conspired against me with Trump's self inflicted energy crisis making diesel expensive at 1.85+ per litre and rising and uncertain supplies, plus last weekend Louis had a funny turn overnight. 

In the morning I found him off his legs and in a pool of saliva feeling very sorry for himself.

A trip to the emergency vets saw him perk up no end by the time we got there. 

A check over from the vet gave him a clean bill of health. 

So it seems he either injested something or he'd had a seizure, which we may never know.

But a week later and he's back to his normal self thankfully.

So a shorter trip to Yorkshire seems to be a good idea.

Today I've come to Penistone Hill Country Park which is up on the moors in what's known as Bronte country, close to the pretty village of Haworth.

After some lunch we walked up to the Bronte waterfalls which were a little disappointing as far as waterfalls go, just a stream bubbling over the rocks as it made its way down the valley, but the scenery is very impressive.

It was also very busy at the falls which isn't surprising being a Sunday.

It was a lovely walk and after getting back,  I got talking to a couple in a motorhome with a registration plate I didn't recognise.

It turns out they're from Chile South America, so they're an awful long way from home and are travelling around Europe for two years.

The parking looks good for the night, just myself and the other motorhome.

I think there's going to be an good sunset tonight.

Llanberis

 Llanberis, more to follow

Caernafron

Nwborough Beach and Forest

Hanbury Hall

 Friday 7th November 2025

The Chipping Norton park up proved to be a good choice, very quiet and handy for the town if you need it, which I didn't, lol.

I just went for a wander around, which isn't all that easy. The town is built on quite a steep hillside and is disected by the busy A44 trunk road.

This makes getting around less than ideal. It's still a busy and popular town though.

After breakfast I set off for Hanbury Hall National Trust site in Warwickshire. 

I've actually been here before, in 2023 we spent an afternoon here on the way to RIAT at RAF Fairford.

It's a pleasant place to spend some time and has lovely walks across the estate which is what we did today.

It's also close to Ginney Ring Craft Centre where they allow motorhomes to overnight on the carpark.

So that's where I am tonight, on my own, no other motorhomes joined me.

The craft centre is an interesting place, lots of diverse crafts taking place. Sadly the owners are retiring and some of the facilities are closing at the end of the year such as the cafe, restaurant and the lovely gardens.

The sign is a bit ambiguous, but I think some of the craft units are hoping to remain open.

I'm not sure how that'll work but hopefully they'll be able to work something out for them.

Ginney Ring Craft Centre

It's quite close to the M5 junction 5 so I'll hop on there tomorrow morning and be home in no time, as opposed to this afternoon when Google maps showed the horrific congestion on the motorway.

So that's the plan, I've enjoyed my trip, the weather has been fantastic for the first week of November, mostly dry and what rain there has been had come overnight so not interrupted sight seeing or anything.

The most notable thing though is the temperature, it's been exceptionally mild all week and I've not needed to use the heating at all.

More villages and a popular pub

Thursday 6th November 2025

It must have been a quiet night in Cirencester, I didn't wake up until gone 9, unusual for me.

So it was a late start after breakfast and another walk around the park.

Cirencester town

Todays destination was Burford, another pretty market town with, to be honest, much the same sort of shops as the other pretty villages we've visited.

Still it was a nice place to walk around and sit to watch the world go by.

There's free parking by the river which is a welcome novelty.

The village has a main street which is set on a hill, the top of which features some lovely cottages.

Not far away, along the A40 towards Oxford is Jeremy Clarksons Farmers Dog pub. So how could I resist a pint of Hawkstone IPA ?

It's an extremely popular venue, but very well organised with parking across the road and lots of friendly staff directing people.

So I enjoyed my pint of Hawkstone and a bag of Diddly Squat crisps sitting on the outdoor decking area with fantastic views from an elevated position overlooking the Oxfordshire countryside.

Quite an experience, but I don't think I'd like to come at the weekend when it'll likely be even busier.

Parking is on a field opposite the Farmers Dog - this could
get very muddy on a wet day

Farmers Dog parking at the pub is reserved for disabled drivers
and probably for Jezza when he's here ?

Tonight's park up is another free carpark in Chipping Norton, a few miles to the north.

After a wander around the town I decided it's a nice enough town, but much more of a working town and less of a tourist destination.