Author: jl.boreham

Another lovely weekend ! A couple of weekends ago, but all on my own due to family having other commitments I thought, “What have I to do this weekend?” I had the opportunity to have a completely selfish weekend and some very important ‘me’ time.

It might be my inner introvert, or my age, but I’m easily pleased in terms of ‘me’ time. Friday night (the night before my little Whitby adventure) was gorgeous. End of the working week, I arrived home, put my PJs on, and sat in my own house, in peace and quiet, background music on, latest book in hand, munching on chocolate covered peanuts and raisins with a cup of Yorkshire tea in hand……….enjoying the solitude. No “Mum can you this”, “Mum can you that”.” Just reading, snacking and planning my little weekend of adventure. Bliss!

And sometimes you don’t have to go too far for an adventure! You can spend that much time travelling here, there and everywhere that you fail to see the beauty on your doorstep. Well, not exactly on my doorstep but in beautiful Yorkshire! I decided to go on a seaside adventure to the Yorkshire coast for two days……….to the town of Whitby to be precise. I hadn’t visited Whitby since the boys were small and I’d forgotten how beautiful it was. It has it all…………….history, gorgeous views, pretty cobblestone streets, culture, good food, bustling harbour…………………it’s a beautiful little seaside town and a must visit on any trip to Yorkshire. I’ll tell you all about it, and then decide for yourself.

I set off very early in Calvin the Corsa, just as the sun was rising, because I wanted to get to Whitby before 10am to enjoy the day, as I knew there was lots I wanted to see.

Whitby is positioned on the east coast of England, in Yorkshire, towards the north of the country. It is a town of two halves, split right down the middle by the river Esk and its estuary. On a sunny winter’s day it is picture postcard gorgeous.

Until this day I had not realised what an important town it had been, and still is, in terms of seafaring, or just how much history there was to the town. As I said, the last time I came was with the boys when they were little, and when you come with children to the seaside it’s a completely different trip. All the history and culture of the place I’d completely overlooked before. On the last trip my youngest was around 4 years old and the oldest was 6. The youngest always was (and still is) a bit of a loose cannon as we say…………….”a bull in a china shop” as my Grandma would have said. 😆

He was more mischievous in a nice way than a naughty, horrible way. He was like a missile, travelling at the speed of light and leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. He has absolutely no fear, and memories of the last trip to Whitby include clutching his coat hood to stop him launching himself into the harbour, running after him down the beach as he charged headlong into the icy cold North Sea, and keeping him away from the seagulls as he tried to terrorise them without realising they’d probably counter attack! 🤣 He was always very well behaved in restaurants, I could take him anywhere, but get him in the great outdoors and he turned feral……………you needed eyes in the back of your head. You did not get chance to look at anything for yourself, or take in any of the history. Your entire time was spent protecting him from catastrophe ……………… and give him candy floss, seaside rock or anything with sugar and additives in and you were in for a thoroughly anxiety inducing day trip!😆 So this time around I thought I’d have a look at the ‘real’ Whitby that I didn’t get chance to see before, and I was quite amazed.

I parked up on the West Cliff and decided to walk into town along the promenade. The first thing I saw took me back to memories of childhood seaside holidays when I was little. Most English seaside towns that were popular in Victorian times (I’m not that old) such as Brighton, Blackpool, Margate, Eastbourne, Bournemouth, Scarborough and Whitby, had Victorian beach shelters on the promenade where the Victorians, with all their respiratory ailments from life in the industrial cities, used to come and convalesce and ‘take the air’. This simply involved walking up and down the promenade with the occasional rest in one of these shelters. They are adorned with the most beautiful wrought ironwork and under their sheltered roof they have wooden benches and windbreaks………..so you sit on whichever one is protected from the wind and admire the view. They are a really pretty relic from the Victorian age and it was so lovely to see one so well looked after.

All along the West Cliff promenade there are a number of wire sculptures installed, with an information plaque for each one. My little spongelike brain learnt so much that I did not know before by looking at these. The first one is of a man with a telescope looking out to sea. It transpires he is William Scoresby Senior. He was from Whitby and was an arctic explorer, whaler and inventor of the ‘Crows Nest’ which is the thing that he’s stood in that was mounted on the mast of ships as a lookout point. He was the inspiration for the character Lee Scoresby in Phillip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy, only Whitby’s Scoresby was a real life arctic explorer and hero. How cool!

The next sculpture I liked lots……………………….this one is Skipper Dora! Could she have been the inspiration for Dora the Explorer? Who knows! I have a little bit of ‘Dora the Explorer’ in me so I could resonate with this one. Born in 1890, Dora Walker of Whitby was the first female fishing boat skipper! She was a remarkable, trailblazer of a woman. She had bronchial problems and was told to ‘take the air’. Not happy to sit in a beach shelter on the promenade Dora had built her own small fishing boat the ‘Good Faith’ and spent her days exploring in her fishing boat. What a lady!

Carry on walking on the West Cliff and the most glorious view opens up in front of you. From high up above you get a lovely view over the red roofs of the quaint fishing town of Whitby, over the harbour, and all the way up the Esk estuary. Over on the East Cliff stands the ruin of medieval Whitby Abbey, which I’ll come to in a minute. Before you cross the estuary there are a few more things to see on the West Cliff. First of all a statue and a sign post to some far flung places all over the world. The statue is of Captain James Cook, who is from a small village close to Whitby. He was an extremely courageous and well known British explorer and cartographer. He was famous for 3 of his voyages which took place between 1768 and 1779. He made the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia, the Hawaiian islands and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand.

Just a little further along you come to the ‘Whalebone Arch’………which is just that! Two 20 foot high, real whale jawbones, in an arch formation. It was here that I met a lovely couple all the way from Brisbane, Australia, who were kind enough to take my photo for me and vice versa. They were on a tour of the UK and had been told not to miss Yorkshire and Whitby. The first whalebones were positioned here in 1853 and frame the view of the town and abbey. In the 18th and 19th century Whitby was the main centre for the British whaling and fishing industry. Dozens of whaling boats set sail from here on a regular basis to hunt in the arctic waters off Greenland, with many crew members being lost . Whaling brought great wealth but also great danger. When crews returned from a successful hunt they would tie a whalebone atop the mast to signal that it was a successful trip with no loss of crew. The whalebone arch was put here to recognise that tradition. The original set of whale bones was replaced in 1963 with a new set gifted to the UK by Norway. By the 1990’s these too had started to crumble, and in 2003 the current pair of whalebones were erected. These are the jawbones from a Bowhead whale which was legally killed and gifted to the whaling town of Whitby by the Alaskan Inuit community, who the town have close links with.

I was still on the West Cliff, I hadn’t even got to the lighthouse, and I’d learnt so much already. I was really enjoying my blue sky winter day at the Yorkshire seaside. Down on the harbourside there are some more wire sculptures depicting the contribution of women to the fishing industry. Their roles mainly involved sorting and preparing the fish once it had been landed, and the repairing of nets.

At the end of the harbour wall is Whitby’s still very operational lighthouse…………….it’s huge when you stand at the bottom. From the lighthouse you can walk right out to the far side of the harbour on a raised pier of wooden boards to two smaller automated lighthouses, one red, one green, on each side of the harbour entrance. They help to guide the ships in safely in poor visibility. I walked along for a little while and it made me a little disorientated. The pier is quite high above the sea and there are big gaps in the boards and the whole thing moves a little in the wind. When you look down you can see the white foam of the tops of the crashing waves swirling below you, and by the time I got back on solid ground I had ‘sea legs’ somewhat, when you are perfectly still but feel like you are still swaying with the waves.

It was time to have a look around the harbour, and there is so much to see here too. It’s both the best and worst part of Whitby. It’s very busy, lined by tacky souvenir shops, candy stalls, rock shops, slot machines and amusement arcades, like a lot of UK seaside towns are. If that’s what you like, then this is the area of Whitby to be. However, if you turn your back to the rows of amusements, you are in front of one of the most beautiful harbours in the UK. It is very much a working fishing harbour. Whitby is the home to one of the UK’s three fish processing companies. Millions of tonnes of cod, haddock, whiting, scallops, crabs, and lobster are landed at Whitby each year, in addition to smaller numbers of mackerel, pollock and seabass.

It’s such a colourful harbour……….. little red, yellow, and blue fishing boats bobbing about on the water. Lobster pots and fishing nets piled high on the harbour side. And it just has that lovely ‘sound’ of a working harbour……..chugging boats, gulls, church bells in the distance, and the smell of boat diesel drifting in the air.

At the side of the harbour is a memorial to all the fishermen and whalers lost at sea, which seems to also be a perch for some of Whitby’s most famous residents………….the seagulls. The Whitby seagulls have to be the most ferocious sub species of gull known to man. 😂 They are huge! They attack without warning and there are signs to warn you about this. It comes from people feeding them, so they now have no fear and believe anything you are eating is theirs by entitlement too. I challenge you to eat fish and chips outside and not be dive bombed, clawed, and have your lunch ripped from your hands before you’ve got it into your mouth. This is why I kept a tight hold of the youngest on the last visit……………..his game of chase the seagull was not going to end well……………..a four year old would be no match for a ferocious Whitby seagull. I know who would have come off worse! 😂

Time to cross over the river to the other side of town………..but not without a little delay. The bridge was open for shipping traffic, so I took the opportunity to nip inside a café for a buttered scone and coffee refuel while I waited for the bridge to open again.

Whitby is home to a quaint little swing bridge that crosses the Esk Estuary. There has been a swing bridge here since 1835. It is manned for shipping traffic and opened on the hour and every half hour for two hours on either side of high tide. If you miss this, you are stuck in the harbour, and if you want to cross the bridge in a vehicle or as a pedestrian, you have to bear this timetable in mind!

The old town on the far side of the bridge is a beautiful maze of little cobbled streets and alleyways. There are a lot of shops specialising in and selling Whitby Jet made into all sorts of jewellery and trinkets. Whitby Jet is a semi-precious organic gemstone that is highly polished to a glossy deep black. It comes from the fossilised remains of the Monkey Puzzle tree of the Araucaria conifer genus. It comes in a fossilised seam, and you can find the remains of the old jet mines all along the coast between Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby. Jet can also be found in Asturias, Utah, Turkey, China, Germany, and Russia, but Whitby Jet is superior in quality, being less susceptible to fade or crack………………………..and just because it’s from Yorkshire of course, that alone makes it superior!🤭. You don’t have to look far for your own little piece of jet. Visit the beach after a storm, and there will often be pieces of jet washed up on the shore.

Also in the old town are old fashioned sweet shops (I got some lovely soft liquorice), little bookshops, and an abundance of fishmongers selling the day’s catch of fresh fish, dressed crabs and lobsters.

There’s also the aptly named ‘Arguments Yard’ which I guess is the place to go if you want to have an argument!🤭

Next place to visit is the 199 steps………………………so called because the steps are 199 in number. They are Grade I listed and have been here since at least 1370. They lead up to St Mary’s church and Whitby Abbey and were put there to measure the determination of pilgrims to the abbey. I can see why……………….by the time they deposited me in the churchyard of St Mary’s I was well and truly out of breath. However, it was worth it for the fantastic view over Whitby. The church bells were ringing, it was blowing a gale, but it was beautiful.

I had decided for the first time ever I was going to visit the Abbey ruins, now that I had time to appreciate them. The Abbey is very imposing, atmospheric, and quite eerie in a way. It was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and I can see why. It was a 7th century monastery and Benedictine Abbey until its possessions were confiscated by Henry VIII in 1538, during the ‘Dissolution of the Monasteries’. It was further ruined in World War I when it was heavily shelled by two German battlecruisers, and what remains is basically what you see today.

It’s really nice for a walk around, and you can get a lovely view of the Abbey from different angles. Walk around the Abbey pond to get a view of the whole of the Esk estuary. The Abbey is really quite a sharp, imposing contrast against the bright colours of the blue sky and green grass.

By this time I was hungry, and you absolutely cannot visit Whitby without having traditional British ‘Fish and Chips’! Whitby has so many fish and chip shops, but there are two that stand out head and shoulders above the rest, and both have been named the UK’s top fish and chip shop in the recent past. When you return from Whitby, the question is always, “Did you go to The Magpie or Trenchers?” Now, I’m in the Trenchers camp, but they are both extremely good. The Magpie probably has more variety if you are straying from ‘traditional’ on the fish front, but if you want Haddock or Cod, for me, Trenchers have the slight edge. You can sit inside at both of them, or you can get them to take away, which is less expensive. I sit inside for no other reason than seagulls. 😂 I didn’t need the menu, I’m a bit of a traditional girl…………..it has to be battered Cod, chips, mushy peas, wedge of lemon, and a pot of Yorkshire Tea. With salt and vinegar they are delicious.

We have a really good fish and chip shop 5 minutes from home, and the fish usually has been landed at Whitby, but I have never had Cod like that in Trenchers at Whitby. Just really thick, pure white, meaty flakes in the lightest crispy batter. It’s 100% worth the premium that you pay to have fish and chips here, and the staff are lovely too. I was well and truly full to the brim when I had finished!

By now, it was cold, dark and damp, so I made my way to the B&B, which was a short drive away, the Falcon Inn at Cloughton. It’s an old coaching inn in the middle of nowhere, but not too far from Whitby, on the North Yorkshire Moors.

It has really comfy, good value rooms, with breakfast. The hospitality tray got top marks…………………..Yorkshire Tea! Which you will be pleased to know I have now discovered can be bought in a sack of 1040 tea bags. Why have 1 when you can have 1040 of the little sachets of joy!😂

I had a little nap and then went down to the bar for a quick little drink, to catch up on a few things on my laptop, then returned to my room for my own little hospitality tray tea party…………..I know how to rock and roll on a Saturday night! 😆 The food in the pub looked divine……………….there was some seriously good-looking belly pork coming from the kitchen, so I perhaps need to return for dinner one weekend!

The bed was so comfy!! There is nothing like having a whole bed to yourself. 😂 It’s one of life’s simple pleasures…………………….spreading out like a starfish and taking the whole bed up. Yes, I sort of miss having something to place my cold feet upon, but I do like to spread out, snore to my hearts content (I only have a little snore 🤭), and not have to share the duvet!

I awoke bright and early to a dusting of snow in the car park. The breakfast down in the pub was delicious. The log fire was roaring, and the early morning view from the breakfast table, over the garden wall, and across the moors was lovely.

Sunday is usually long run morning so I’d decided this is what it would still be. I love a long run early on a morning and I usually still do it when I’m on holiday. You see the ‘real’ town and get a completely different picture of a place when you run around the outskirts and centre before the rest of the town has woken up and ventured out. There’s the smell of freshly baked bread and pastries, golden sunlight, sparkling clean streets as the refuse collectors and street cleaners finish their night shift and the chirping of the birds as they wake up. They are the highlights of my early morning holiday runs, when the town slowly wakes up from slumber and there is no-one else around.

I’d decided on a 14 mile route so thought I’d better have a big breakfast to fuel. By the time I’d packed, checked out and driven to the start of the run route I would have digested most of it. It was delicious: yoghurt, fruit, a pastry………. followed by the full English, fresh ground coffee and toast and marmalade. Well, not the ‘full’ English. I omitted the black pudding and baked beans. I’m not too bothered about black pudding and although I love baked beans I don’t like them on my English Breakfast. For me, baked beans are a comfort food all on their own. They are the winter feast of a dinner on fresh buttered toast when you are home alone and can’t be bothered to cook!

It was freezing cold and windy outside, so it was on with the bobble hat, gloves, buff, winter longs, windproof jacket and running pack for the short drive to the start point of the run at Robin Hood’s Bay. I had initially thought I’d catch the bus to Whitby and then just run the 8 miles back to Robin Hood’s Bay. But as usual I didn’t want to sit on a bus, I got carried away in the beauty and adventure of it all, and decided to run out and back on a circular route, just over 14 miles. I did have a map but I thought surely I can’t get lost or get up to too much mischief on this one…………I just need to keep the sea on my right to Whitby, and then the sea on my left on the way back! Simple!

The way out was quite straightforward, and I was in Whitby, six and a half miles and one hour later, having taken the Cinder Track. This is an old disused steam railway track which ran from Scarborough to Whitby. It had a few gentle ups and downs, a couple of road crossings, but generally was quite a steady run.

There were a couple of glimpses of the coast, like at the lovely Bay Ness, but in general on the way out you are a little further from the coast. It’s really well signed. I saw the first signs of Spring in some lovely snowdrops…………………….

…………………………a lovely little cake tuckshop with honesty box run by a lady called Jo. It was lovely, albeit not as picturesque as the coastal path.

I had a quick warm up in ‘Hope and Beans’ coffee shop at Whitby with a coffee, feeling quite pleased to have arrived without mishap, before starting the return journey……………………..which is where the fun began.

I’d decided to run back along the Cleveland Way Coastal Path. This clings to the cliff edge between Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay and in its entirety it is a 109 mile path which runs from Helmsley to Filey, both in Yorkshire. The first challenge was Whitby’s 199 steps!! Yes, I didn’t realise I’d have to run up them to get on the coastal path. 😆

At home I am renowned for not being ‘mountain ready’ i.e. prepared for survival. When I get ready to go on an adventure the boys always say…….”Are you mountain ready Mum?” and then they roll about laughing. You see they know the answer is “No” and this is why I come unstuck. I always have lip balm, and I always have money for cake and coffee, but as long as I’ve not got sore lips and I can buy cake I’m all good. I’m always under-prepared and I hadn’t really thought about the return route or conditions.

The sea might be flat but believe me when I say the coastal path IS NOT FLAT!!! and I can’t reiterate that enough. It was a full-on gale force headwind, ankle deep mud and so many steps up and down……………………….and I had eight miles of it! Don’t get me wrong…….it was gorgeous. The coastal views were fantastic, beautiful views back to the abbey, cliffs full of sea birds …………….. but absolutely nothing in the way of civilisation between Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay. So go prepared.

At one point the wind got so strong and I was so tired I had a little lie down in the grass because I thought it might blow me off my feet. One mile from Robin Hood’s Bay I had a full on melt down. I was so frustrated because it was unrunnable……..it was a battle through mud………….and I was so glad when Robin Hood’s Bay appeared in view. I took a bit of windswept video but you can’t hear me speak……….it was wild, but the sentiment was “I’ve had enough now”, “I need this to end” and “I need cake”. All quite well used phrases by me when I’m out on a run!🤣

By the time I got into the bay it was a full on storm. I shot inside Brambles tea room, shivering and shaking, to be revived with ………………yes you guessed it………………a pot of Yorkshire tea and raspberry and orange Victoria Sponge.

Just time for a very quick wander around beautiful Robin Hood’s Bay on the way back to the car. It’s a shame the weather had turned because Robin Hood’s Bay is a gorgeous little fishing bay clung to the cliffs. It was the haunt of many a pirate in days gone by and really is a special little place. But not on a day like today, it was wild. That adventure and tale will have to wait for another day. So the lesson from this weekend of adventure is I need to be more ‘mountain ready’ …………….. a lip balm and cake money is not enough in all situations. I need to research my route before setting off. 😂 But it confirmed that Whitby is an amazing little town and definitely one of Yorkshire’s top places to visit.

That’s it now for a few weeks. I’m off on a little five day solo trip abroad this next week, which I will of course update you on in a few weeks when I get chance! This weekend I’ve been at home, but I’ve been very, very busy being creative in the absence of everyone else, and transforming some spaces. I think I may have got myself into a little teeny weeny bit of trouble by being a little too over creative without first consulting other inhabitants of the house, but more on that later! You see I can even get up to mischief when I stay at home!🤭🤣

I have though, found what I think might be my new favourite cake shop. I had to make a little trip a few miles from home, for half an hour, to try on a new pair of mountain running shoes in my favourite, friendly, family run, independent, local running store. I came out and spotted a sign which said ‘Coffee and Doughnuts’…….my eyes lit up (obviously 😂). Eve Kitchen looked a lovely unpretentious little coffee shop, and I thought “I could just drink a flat white, I’ll just grab a quick coffee because I’m being good today, I’m not having cake!”. The coffee was divine!

However, I confess………………I was not good. The doughnuts looked delicious but I can actually leave a doughnut, they are not my favourite. However, I like pretty things, and there was another little sign that said ‘Mini Berry Cream Filled Brioche with Chocolate Ganache’……………and they were topped with chocolate flakes and real flowers……….rose petals and violas that you could eat………………they were like a bun in a fairytale! They were too pretty to leave on the counter and one just found its way onto a plate in front of me!!! Honestly, I have no idea how it happened!🤣 Oh goodness…………….I can’t tell you how good this was. I thought the brioche was going to be ‘mini’ but I think the title was referring to the mini berries, the brioche was quite large………..served on a pretty blue and white china plate. It was a cake fit for a Princess. 🤭

However, it could become quite a problem as it’s only 15 minutes from home! And I have to go and collect the shoes next weekend…………and there are lots of cakes to try! 🤭

Oh what an exciting weekend! I’ve learnt to do something new and I can’t wait to tell you about it!

I’ve been abandoned for four whole weekends! But worry not, as we all know that it just means four whole weekends to get up to lots of exciting things and mischief! I am quite happy to entertain myself.

This weekend I’m up to all sorts, but due to a bit of boredom (because I’m stuck in a hotel room all alone this evening in the middle of nowhere) , I’m going to tell you about last weekend, and my exciting discovery. But first of all, the start of the weekend.

It began with a lovely run with friends to catch the last of the snow around the lovely Wentworth Castle Gardens at Stainborough. It was so pretty. The run took us through the grounds of the stately home which I am so lucky to live less than a mile from. At this time of year the parkland is full of deer. Huge stags with the most gigantic antlers. I’m always a bit wary of running too close to them but as long as you give them a wide berth they don’t bother, and they are the most gracious and majestic creatures to watch.

We followed this up with coffee and banana bread, baked by yours truly! I love this Annie Bell recipe. It’s so easy and as long as you like bananas it’s great after a run. Quite low in fat too as there is no butter, it’s made with sunflower oil instead.

In the evening I was out with my lovely friend Jeanette for dinner. I had the most delicious braised Ox Cheek, parsnip crisps and root vegetables………………..all served on a bed of horseradish mashed potatoes with rich, thick gravy.

Now you might read this blog and think………………goodness, all she does is eat. I don’t!! I do however run quite a lot and runners don’t diet and exercise………they train and eat! I can eat well and maintain a weight of less than 60kg no problem. You cannot diet and run……….I’ve tried it…………..it does not work………….and the balance is an extremely fine one but you have to make sure you eat enough to run…….but I could write an entire post on that! And I guess you only get to see my treats that I eat on a weekend when I allow myself to eat what I want.

During the week I have to be careful to eat a diet full of protein with plenty of iron. If I don’t I’m constantly iron deficient. So meals through the week look like this! Really quite boring…………..usually meat or fish, vegetables and pulses. This is pork loin, spinach wilted in a bit of butter and nutmeg, with braised Mediterranean lentils. My other half is strict vegetarian, but it does not work for me, I need the iron in the lean red meat and the protein in fish and white meat.

So then, what was the exciting discovery I want to tell you about? I’ve been back to class! Art class to be precise. I loved Art when I was at school. I got top marks………..a grade ‘A’…………….in my final art exams. However, strangely enough it wasn’t my strongest subject. I’m a scientist………I excelled at Mathematics and Physics, which is quite unusual for someone so creative I’m told. Despite the fact that I read so many books and write a lot…………….English was my worst subject…………..yes, my own language. 🤭But coming from Yorkshire it’s not much of a surprise because, we have our own dialect! 😆

I’d visited the David Hockney art gallery in Saltaire and saw some linocuts he had done, and thought, “I’d like to have a go at that!” They were so effective but did not look too difficult. Getting back into my art is something I would really like to do in my retirement soon, so I thought I’d look for a workshop.

I found one in York with a lovely lady called Michelle……………….a local lady who moved to Yorkshire after a career in graphic design in London. The pandemic saw the demise of her day job so she now makes a living as a very well respected, and well known, linocut artist. She has produced linocuts for book illustrations, cards, marketing literature and is very shortly to have her own book published. I found her on the internet and saw she offered linocut workshops for small groups of four people. Perfect I thought, I’ll sign up!

However, I felt a little bit out of my comfort zone. Here I was, signed up for a workshop with this very talented lady, having not picked up my drawing pencil for over 30 years!🤣However, I’m a great believer that life begins on the edge of your comfort zone. I’m one of life’s philosophers………..I think too much ………..and when I’m on my own I philosophise about all sorts of random stuff. I think it comes from being on my own quite a lot as my other half is often away competing. As I write this, I’ve been dot watching on and off all day today, and just two minutes ago he has crossed the line in 5th place in his age category in the 82km UTMB World Series Arc of Attrition Race running around the coast of Cornwall in stormy weather. 476 started, 127 have already dropped out, less than 100 have finished so far and he has just finished 5th in his category! No crew support allowed at this one to make it extra hard! Yes, he pisses me off so much, most of the time 😂 and a lot of friends I know would not tolerate him, they’ve told me………………..but they are friends who would be lost without their other half, they have no life or interest of their own. I do! And I was thinking the other day about the difference between existence and life! Now that’s a deep one for you!

In my opinion life is what you live when you step out of your comfort zone and is all about quality of life, experiences and purpose. Existence is just the state of being alive…….what you live biologically if you just repeat the same thing, never having the courage to step out of your comfort zone and routine, it lacks richness and excitement. So we all exist……………..but we don’t all live. Oh my goodness you are probably thinking……………how does she even have time to think about these things?

Well with an Olympic Gold medal in getting lost, finding myself on the top of mountains without a clue where I am, taking on challenges that are way out of my comfort zone and capability, being christened ‘GMOAT’ (greatest mother of all time) by my offspring……………I do like to ‘live’. I have a very fulfilling life, with or without one of the worlds fastest 50 something year old male mountain runners!

So off I went, completely out of my comfort zone on my linocut workshop. I had confessed to Michelle that my experience was limited to Art ‘O” level 30 years ago but “I like to make things” I said enthusiastically.😂 So the day commenced with me staring at a blank piece of lino thinking “Shit, what do I do with this now?”😂

I’d got in my head that I wanted to come away with something to put in a picture frame, which is me all over! Thinking I’m Picasso before I’ve even started! 🤣

“Just do a sketch of what you’d like to do a linocut of”, Michelle said. So I did a sketch of a group of botanical flowers, trying to fill the space and get the right balance and proportion. But I could not help think that there was too much there for a 5 hour workshop. But Michelle thought it was achievable.

Next step was to reproduce my image on tracing paper, which was quite straightforward.

You then turn it over and make an imprint of the carbon on the lino to give you the shapes and outlines to follow as a guide.

Then it was time to practice with the tools! Exciting……………………and very therapeutic! The little chisel type thingys (they’ve probably got a proper name) just slice through the lino like butter. I was very proud that I managed some lines, circles, stars and dots without losing one of my fingers!🤭

Then I got permission to go ahead and start carving the real thing! I spent two lovely hours lost in my own little world cutting out my flowers. My mind was so still!

The next step was to prepare the paint and the rollers. After cleaning off the lino it was time to roll the first lot of paint on, and do the first test prints on normal computer paper.

It was really exciting to see the finished test print emerge.

Then I moved onto the proper printing cartridge paper and the prints gradually got better and better as I got used to judging how much paint to load on the roller and how much pressure to apply. And here are my finished prints!! They are not perfect but I am quite proud of them and I am definitely going to frame one as my very first print. Not bad for a first attempt I think…………move over Picasso!😂I’ve actually looked at his linocuts and think mine might be slightly better!!!!🤣🤣🤣 I can’t wait to practice more, and get a little bit more adventurous with the designs and perhaps do some jigsaw linocuts with more than one colour. What I have failed to add though, is out of all four students, I did get the award for being covered in the most paint and pencil by the end of the day…………….I was so messy!!! It was oil based paint too so I had oddly tinged green hands for a few days. 🤭

It’s definitely something I’ll do more of in my retirement………………….I can picture myself now in my little space abroad, sketching, lino cutting, baking, reading, sewing and eating cake!! ❤️ So there you go……….my latest skill……..lino cutting. Have a go………….you’ll love it! So relaxing.

This weekend’s adventures are even better………………..I’m away from home, all alone, with a map, and we all know what that means……………………………….😂😂 I’m going to have some fun things to tell you about!

A little winter escape to Andalucía………….but not until after Christmas Day and dinner! And I love Christmas dinner. I like cooking it, I like eating it and I like to feed everybody else. First course is always prawn and avocado cocktail salad. Then it’s the main course, the Yorkshire Christmas dinner. So what’s on the Yorkshire Christmas dinner? Turkey, roast potatoes, dauphinois potatoes, carrots, honey roasted parsnips, pigs in blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon), sage and onion stuffing balls, brussels sprouts (my favourite!), turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, and of course…………..a Yorkshire pudding! Lots of people will tell you that Yorkshire pudding goes with roast beef, but I beg to differ, in Yorkshire it goes with everything! Sometimes we even have them as a dessert with golden syrup on. 😆 Dinner was delicious!

And then there is dessert…………….traditionally a Christmas fruit spiced pudding with brandy sauce. I love it, and we always have it, but it’s a bit of a love hate thing, and 3 of the 6 diners do not like Christmas pudding at all, they positively hate it. So every year I have to do an alternative dessert. They all love cheesecake…………….so this year I thought I’d do cheesecake with a difference and made my very first Basque cheesecake. I’m not 100% sure what it’s meant to look like, I’ve not made one before, and it’s probably one of those things that tastes better than it looks. I thought it looked a bit burnt, but I think it’s meant to, and it got a very big thumbs up from the eaters. Apparently, it was delicious. It looked a bit bland on its own so I served it with some kirsch soaked berries and fruit coulis.

Now it would have been rude to not try some so I of course had two desserts and I can confirm it was indeed delicious. I’m awarding myself at least 8 out of 10 for my first British attempt at a Basque cheesecake.

Everyone liked their presents, which I always put lots of thought into. They will always be very meaningful…………..and I love giving presents and wrapping them up all nicely with tags.

Mr Fitness, however, continued his trend in buying the most unromantic, inappropriate present ever! 🤣 Let’s just say it’s a good job I’m one of life’s ‘givers’ rather than a ‘taker’. My boys listen to me when I say, “Next year, I’m slowing down a bit. Don’t waste your money on me at Christmas, just a small token.” Some thought had gone into what they bought, the youngest bought me a book that I’ve been meaning to read for a long time, Maya Angelou’s ‘I know why the caged bird sings’, and the big one bought me some yoga socks for winter (I always have cold feet).

Mr Fitness, however, did not get the message, and I now know for certain he does not listen to a word I say. His gifts are legendary and are much talked about amongst my friends. The first question on their lips after Christmas is always “What did you get for Christmas?” as they await the revelation of that year’s inappropriate present. He’s not a romantic. He likes practicality! Nicely tissue wrapped lingerie, chocolates, flowers, and jewellery are the things of movies and dreams to me. In the past, I’ve had mats for my car, thermal tent / camping slippers, an emergency survival blanket…………………the list is endless!🤣However, this year, he has clearly not listened to my slowing down objective for next year. With a message that said “you are too good to slow down,” I am now the proud owner of a coveted entry to the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc Snowdonia (ERYRI) 25K! With a little introduction inside the envelope that says, “This is one tough race. 2700 runners of 65 nationalities will take on the rugged wilderness of Wales’ highest mountain. ” It is exactly what I did not want……in absolutely every way! 😢He’s even tried to convince me it’s a half marathon, but as far as I’m aware, at the last measurement, 25k is over 15 miles! It would be slightly funny, were it not for the fact that while you are opening your gift, completely oblivious to what’s inside, he is sat there with a look on his face that would have you believe it’s a diamond necklace! 😂And I’ve been brought up to be thankful and polite so I smiled, tried to look so very happy with my gift, said thank you, and popped it back in its envelope where it will remain. So there you are, will I be on the start line in May, I have no idea, and for now, I’m not even thinking about it, I’m slowing down like I said! But at least it’s given everyone else something to laugh about at my expense!

The day after Christmas was the day of the four day escape via Malaga Airport, which I’m going to tell you all about! I was really ready for this little break. I wasn’t too bothered about the temperature. I just wanted to see the sun, read, relax, and recharge. It’s been very damp, foggy, cold, snowy and miserable at home recently, and work has been really busy.

Where did I go this time? I’ve been before to see the cities of Malaga, Seville, Cordoba, and Granada, and I like to go somewhere different. I wanted somewhere a bit quieter, smaller, in the countryside, so I went inland to the town of Ronda……………and it was beautiful. It is an inland town in the province of Malaga, in the autonomous community of Andalucía. The town is set in the most spectacular landscape, straddled each side of the El Tajo gorge, a 120m deep chasm that carries the Guadalevín River. Perhaps its most famous site is the Puente Nuevo bridge straddling the gorge, although completed in 1793, it’s not that ‘new’. To get there from the UK, Malaga is the most convenient airport, and it’s then around a 75-minute drive to Ronda.

There are a large number of places to stay in Ronda. There are apartments, fincas, hotels, villas, a Parador……….something for all tastes. I decided to stay just on the outskirts of town in a nice 4-star hotel called the Hotel Catalonia Reina Victoria. It is tucked away in a quiet area on the edge of town, but it is so easy to walk into the bustling centre. I chose this one as it has a lovely garden, indoor pool and spa (most of the outdoor pools are closed at this time of year), and it promised the most spectacular views over the surrounding landscape. I just wanted to relax, and it looked perfect for relaxing. I had booked bed and breakfast as the reviews said the breakfast was excellent……………but I do like to go out for dinner and sample the local cuisine when I’m abroad. I was there for 3 nights / 4 days. I arrived just before 11am on Thursday 26th December, after a very early flight out of Leeds Bradford Airport, and flew back at 21:00 hours on Sunday 29th, and it was the perfect amount of time to not feel rushed.

The hotel was perfect in every way, and I cannot praise it highly enough, this one has definitely made it onto my list of favourite hotels. The location, facilities, food and staff are just exceptional…………they cannot do enough for you. It was really good value. On arrival, I thought, “Oh goodness, this looks posh!” Now posh is fine, but I don’t like pretentious, when you are stuck somewhere that you can’t relax, with a bunch of what I refer to as ’10 bob millionaires’. I like ‘down to earth’. I need not have feared………………..when I pulled up my little grey ‘Malaga Rent’ Fiat Panda alongside the row of Porsches, the scramble to greet me was the same as if I’d arrived in a Lamborghini, and the porter even looked a little envious of my ride!🤣

Checked into the room, I was very happy………….they may have taken pity on me with my Fiat Panda, or it may have been my smile of excitement……….but they had upgraded me from a standard room, to a room with a huge balcony / terrace (perfect for book reading), with a glorious view of the Tajo valley and hotel gardens.

Mr Fitness was already getting very excited…………….he’d brought his running gear (I’d left mine firmly at home!), the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and there were hills everywhere. One month away from another of his crazy races he said, “Would you mind if I go for a run?” Now, that was like music to my ears, as his run means a marathon, taking hours. That meant I could unwind, relax, read my book, have a little glass of sunshine or two, admire the view………………and just generally chill out without being set a physical challenge!🤭 Ronda sight seeing could wait until tomorrow………………..so that’s what I did. He was under strict instructions not to plan for me to be climbing a mountain, dangling from a rope, running training drills, or exercise of any sort for that matter……….unless it was the training of my bicep, by lifting a wine glass or cake to my mouth in a repetitive motion. He was allowed to come with me to Ronda on that one condition!

I’d booked dinner at a lovely restaurant in town called Tropicana. If you are ever in Ronda I would recommend it. I waited for Mr Fitness in the hotel reading lounge, which was very comfy and all trimmed up for Christmas. It had a lovely fireplace and was too good an opportunity not to send home a photo to the boys of me in their favourite shoe choice of mine. They like to make fun of me and my shoes (I like shoes!), especially clean, shiny shoes………………I’m like a magpie for shiny things, but apparently my sliver leather cowboy boots are “boots like no other!” I’ve been called ‘Neil Armstrong’, been asked if I’ve left my spaceship outside…………their ridiculing of me is endless! But my skin is thick and I’m pretty in love with my silver cowboy boots.

I had a lovely little wander through the Christmas lights of Ronda on the way to the restaurant. It was so pretty and they really had spent an awful lot of time and money on illuminating the town for Christmas. The main square and all of town, right to the outskirts, was just a mass of colourful, sparkling lights!

The meal was delicious. I had lovely salmon croquettes to start, which I shared, and then I had a lovely little grilled octopus with some very nicely done greens and aioli for my main course. It was perfectly cooked and washed down with a lovely local white wine. I was too full for dessert (most unusual for me!🤭).

The hotel bed was soooooooo comfy. I slept like a baby and did not wake until 8:30am which is late for me, I’m normally two hours earlier. I felt refreshed already, as result of the previous day’s relax and a good sleep, so I’d decided the plan for the day. After breakfast was going to be a little wander around Ronda, followed by an afternoon of reading and relaxing, followed by an hour in the Spa, and then out for dinner again. Mr Fitness was coming along for the wander and then would re-join me for the spa and dinner. He was doing Mr Fitness type things in the afternoon!

So first of all, breakfast!! AMAAAAZING! 😁 Oh my goodness, there was everything to choose from. Cheeses, meats, cakes, fruits, breads, yoghurts, freshly squeezed juices, prosecco, wine, bacon and eggs for the Brits, gorgeous coffee and a whole mega selection of sprinkly bits, waffles, churros and chocolate sauce……..and probably a load more things I’ve forgotten. I made it my mission to try a bit of everything over the three days! 😆

So breakfast was a three course breakfast for me. I wasn’t bothered about the alcohol, I’m not your typical Brit, I can’t really tolerate alcohol first thing. There will be no airport selfie of me having an airport pint of beer for the road at 6am…………..YUK……..no! I start off with my healthy course…………………….fruit, yoghurt and as many sprinkles, nuts, dried fruit and granola that I can reasonably fit on the top. I bury the fruit at the bottom. The token piece of grapefruit, melon and pineapple.

That’s like my ‘starter’. Main course is my savoury course…………………….and I particularly liked the ‘Ronda Station’. A special table explaining what a typical Ronda breakfast would be with some local sheep’s cheese in olive oil, tomatoes and different local sausages for you to slice yourself. There was lovely freshly baked bread that you rub garlic on, and drizzle with olive oil and tomato pulp. It explained the origins of everything and how to put it all together and it was really tasty. I can have bacon and eggs at home, I come away to sample something different and local.

Then comes my breakfast ‘dessert’…………..yes I did it…………I have no will power whatsoever. I might be a bit bleary eyed, just out of bed…………..but it’s never too early for churros and chocolate sauce (and I may have had half a waffle too, which I poured my hot chocolate sauce into the little square fluffy pillows of dough to eat!!) I know, I’m greedy……………..I have eyes bigger than my belly………………….I’m the first to admit it. But what I’m really trying to explain is that breakfast here really was on another level!

Oh, and there is a lovely view from the breakfast tables!

By the time I had eaten all that, I needed my wander around Ronda to walk it off. So what are the highlights in Ronda!? First stop, the bridge……Puente Nuevo. You have to go and have a look as it’s so well known, and is quite a feat of engineering. The gorge is so very deep, with the old town on one side and the new town on the other.

The main square is also worth a look. Very pretty and full of gorgeous flowers. They use lots of cyclamen in their planting schemes which works well and proves how cool, bright and dry it is over winter, they thrive here. At home, winter is a constant battle to keep my cyclamen tubers from rotting in the cold, damp, frosty gloom.

If you like to buy local traditional food, or you are self catering there are so many lovely food shops selling cheeses, top quality jamon iberico and other local delicacies. This one across the road from the hotel in the new town, out of the tourist area, was my favourite.

At this time of year there are orange and citrus fruits everywhere. The trees are so heavenly laden with them and the freshly squeezed orange juice is delicious, they are so sweet.

You will be pleased to know too that there is ice cream, yes in December, proving what I tell everyone. And they even have a sign to tell you ‘Turron todo el ano’. You see, for those of you who doubted me………………it is perfectly acceptable to indulge in Turron ice cream all though the year, 365 days!😁

I can also confirm that no matter where you look in Ronda there will be spectacular views over Andalucía, it is extremely green and pretty with lots of mountains, rolling hills, gorges, olive groves and what looked to be some fantastic walking. There are also two lovely gardens, both free to enter, which offer the most spectacular views. The nicest one I though was the Alameda del Tajo park. This would be a nice shady retreat from the heat of the summer sunshine. There are lots of tall trees, little squares and tinkling fountains. It’s really green and peaceful in there with its shiny stone tiled floor. At the far end of the garden is the most beautiful mirador over the whole of the valley.

The other gardens are the Jardines de Cuenca. These are also free to wander around and are on the edge of the gorge. These give you a really good view of the Puente Nuevo bridge from below.

Both the gardens are definitely worth a look, and like the whole of Ronda, they are spotlessly clean. It was while I was looking for one of the gardens that I spotted my first Camino sign of the holiday………this time the Via Serrana from Gibraltar to Seville where it then joins the Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabres to reach Santiago. This one would be quite a nice one for Autumn or Spring I think.

Next stop, after a little rest and change of clothes because I was cold, was the Plaza de Toros (Bull Ring). It’s one of Spain’s oldest bull rings and is a really well maintained arena. Despite my discomfort with bullfighting, you cannot deny the fact that it is a large part of the Spanish heritage and culture and I was fascinated to hear all about the history, see the costumes, and learn about the Real Maestranza de Caballería, the oldest and most noble order of horsemanship in Spain since 1485, who are still based there.

It also brought to life some of the characters in recent Ernest Hemingway books I’ve read. He fell in love with Ronda and thought it was one of the most romantic places in Spain. Two Ernest Hemingway novels, ‘Death in the Afternoon’ and ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ were both written after his time here, and one of the key characters in ‘The Sun Also Rises’ is a bullfighter named Pedro Romero, who was actually a famous Spanish bullfighter from the Romero family of Ronda.

I really enjoyed the visit to the bull ring and learning all about that part of Spanish culture. I would recommend it, even if you are not sure about the sport in itself. Architecturally it’s a really pretty place and it has some really unique features, like the tiled stairways all around the arena which depict bullfighting scenes in blue and white painted tiles.

Final site of the day was the church, Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor. It is located in a beautiful square in the old town, on the site of the former mosque. I wanted to go in for a few reasons. Firstly, you can climb up the tower and get a fantastic photograph looking down the spectacular stairwell and a view over the rooftops. Secondly and least importantly, it is full of the usual ostentatious bling.

This is where we had our first ‘words’, Mr Fitness and I, and I had to just walk off in embarrassment. He’s the sort of person that if he thinks something, he will say it, and he is really not bothered who he offends. I meanwhile am probably one of the least offensive people you can meet. I do not practice a religion. I was christened and confirmed a protestant but it’s not a big part of my life and I just wish we could all get along and live happily ever after. Mr Fitness however, is completely anti-religion of any sort and strongly believes it is the root of all worldwide problems and always will be. He especially has a huge aversion to paying to go into a church……….it is probably the thing he has the biggest issue with. So whilst I am clutching my 5 Euros to go up the tower (I knew I would be alone on this one) he’s shouting across the square at me (I only hope his Yorkshire dialect was not understood) that I might want to ask what they are doing with the 75 billion they’ve got stashed away in stocks and shares when I give them my 5 Euros. I was so embarrassed! 😦

I pretended I did not know him and quickly made my entrance, to leave him in the square proudly declaring his 5 euros had been better spent on a glass of Estrella Verde beer.

The church was very beautiful with lots of shiny ostentatious bling as expected so I felt my 5 euros had been well spent. I was also really pleased that our flag had not been stripped off the altar post-Brexit, when we declared to the rest of Europe that we no longer wanted to come to the party, something which I’m still so embarrassed about to this day, I don’t think I’ll ever get over it!😂 However, this is where the fun began, and without the encouragement of Mr Fitness I did struggle somewhat. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I am a little claustrophobic, and scared of heights…………………but I’m also extremely determined. I wanted to go up the tower, because I wanted to see the view. I also wanted to look down the spiral staircase from the top. Now I just hope that no-one was watching me because it took three attempts!!🤣🤣

I particularly don’t like really tight spiral staircases, which this one was, I can get quite distressed. Now, I’m a grown adult, and when I’m in a situation like this I use a technique called exposure therapy, sometimes called desensitization, and this is a really big tip to try if you have a phobia of anything. The idea is that you gradually increase your exposure to the feared thing, the goal being to learn to tolerate the distress until it fades away. So what does this look like in this situation I sense you thinking? Well…………………….it means I walk up and down the steps exactly 4 times until I reach the top, and anybody who notices me doing it no doubt thinks I’m an absolute lunatic! 🤣 First I go up 15 steps then I come back down again. I convince myself that all is well and there is nothing to fear and up I go again, but this time 30 steps………………….and so on and so on………………..until on attempt number 4 I am pleased to say all 62 steps were conquered and I got my view from the top and a shot of the staircase looking down, which made me feel really sick and dizzy so I had to sit down in the square for a drink when I got out until I came round and regained my balance.

By then in was early afternoon, my breakfast had been walked off and I wanted to head back to the hotel for my reading time. However, not before a cake! Dinner was not until 8:30pm so I thought, “I’m on holiday, I can have cake for lunch”, and that will just keep me going until dinner time. So I can also confirm that Ronda has some very nice cake shops.

The afternoon was spent reading while Mr Fitness did fitness things. The deal was to meet at the Spa for an hour at 5pm. The Spa was lovely! It was small but perfect. There was a sauna, a pool with all sorts of jets and massage beds, an ice bucket, and a nice body jet massage shower which had a cycle of around 5 minutes going from cold to hot and working its way up the body from feet to head.

Then there was a quiet heated solarium room with herbal teas, 6 sun loungers, floor to ceiling windows and gorgeous views over the valley. And the nice thing was they only let six people in at a time so there’s a bed for everyone. The staff were lovely too. It was one of those spas where you have to wear a swimming cap, and it’s a good idea, as one of my most hated things is other people’s hair floating in a swimming pool, and I know that I lose loads of hair so I’m all for wearing a cap.

After my little spa session I had a little snooze, while Mr Fitness went to the gym to work off his cake. I got ready for dinner and went read a book outside on the terrace down by the bar while I waited for him. I might just have had a little Campari Spritz too! This is another one of my “Oh my goodness, what have you got on Mum!?” outfits. My very much loved green sateen dress emblazoned with black and white tigers, it looks lovely with my silver boots! 😆I do like to create my own, unique, bright style. My dress has had lots of compliments, just not from my boys, and if my style makes someone smile and say “What a lovely dress!” then that’s a good thing.

Now this is where I’m going to give you an example of how lovely the hotel staff are, going above and beyond. I was sat outside on what was a very cool evening, reading my book, happily minding my own business, waiting with my drink. I must have looked a little cold, because out of nowhere came one of the barmen. He instructed me to stand and pulled my chair over to one of those huge flame heaters. I sat next to the heater, thanked him and thought that was that, until he came running back out with a blanket! I thought he was just going to pass me the blanket, but no, he wrapped me in it, tucked me in and told me if I needed anything else just to shout!🤣🤣 Mr Fitness found me looking like one of the wise men at the nativity scene covered from head to toe in a wool throw! I was wrapped up so tightly like a caterpillar in a cocoon I could hardly turn my book pages, so tightly he had to unwrap me to take me out for dinner!

Dinner that night was superb, It was at a lovely restaurant called La Nina Adela. This was another great little place. Quite a walk, and out of the tourist area, full of local people who seemed to be regulars. We shared a lovely local warm and melted cheese salad to start, then I had ‘The Goat’ ………..this was a burger made with Retinta beef, bacon, fried goat cheese, tomato jam and mayo-honey. It was divine. I’d never heard of Retinta beef but the difference was definitely in the quality and taste of the beef. Apparently the Retinta cow is native to Spain, particularly the dry areas of Andalucía and Exremedura. They roam freely in pastures and scrub land eating acorns, shrubs, branches and grass which is why their meat has extraordinary flavour. I love learning things like this, I’m like a sponge for knowledge!

Oh, and this time I managed to share a dessert, the brownie was not escaping me! Although Mr Fitness claims that I use the word ‘share’ loosely to make myself feel better as apparently my ‘share’ in practice is not the same as his! 😂 I can’t think what he might mean!

The following morning, after my three course breakfast 😆, I thought it would be a shame to not see a little bit of the area, but I did not want to expend too much energy. Plus, I have plans to come back to Andalucía for a week next Autumn so I didn’t feel any real need to see everything this time. But next Autumn I’d like to go a bit further afield to look at Cadiz, Tarifa, Jerez de la Frontera etc. So I asked Mr Fitness if he would drive me around a couple of the white villages local to Ronda, that the area is famous for, so I could have a little look at them, a plan which he thought was a good idea, so off we went.

It was on the way out of Ronda that I spotted some cool street art.

But it did make me laugh…………lots! Each scene depicts something to do with Ronda’s heritage. There were a few relating to bull fighting, one to flamenco, one to farming, a lovely landscape painting of the bridge……………………and then this one…………………………

I can’t help but thing it’s their homage to the British coming on holiday to the Costa del Sol!🤣🤣 I can say that because I’m British of course! But it does bear a strange realistic resemblance.

Anyway, I’d recommend this little drive for a change of scenery, the villages were nice. I’ll tell you briefly which four I visited and what I liked about them.

First stop was Setenil de las Bodegas. A really quirky little town where the cliffs overhang the street and the whole town is built into the cliff side. It’s really pretty.

It has some lovely flower laden streets…………….

Plants in terracotta pots hung on the walls………………….

A lovely colourful little town fountain which is now a homage to a local lady called Francesca who passed away in Summer 2024 and used to keep the fountain decorated with her little home made crocheted creations, a tradition which clearly lives on……………

If you come, I’d recommend visiting this village early, as it gets really busy with tourists, and it does feel a bit touristy with lots of souvenir shops…………….but I did still manage to find a nice quiet spot for a coffee.

Next town was Olvera. Worth a visit. The view of it from a distance is really spectacular as it sits atop a hill and can be seen for miles around, with its castle and church on the top. If you’ve ever been to Puglia in Southern Italy I would say that from a distance it looks identical to the white walled city of Ostuni. It is worth going to the top of town to look at the castle and church, although they do look a bit neglected close up.

It’s also at the top of town where you’ll find the cemetery, which in 2019 was voted ‘Best Cemetery in Spain’…………………now that’s an award and a half isn’t it?!😂 I did have a sneaky peak to verify, and can indeed confirm that all the residents are in a lovely setting with an awesome view.

Other than that I did not feel there was a great deal to Olvera when you got there, and it was a little spread out and lacked atmosphere for me.

Next stop was Zahara de la Sierra. Another hill top town, and I liked this one. It was a little prettier, more compact, cleaner, and had a really bustling central square full of cafes, restaurants and bars where everyone seemed to be congregated. It was full of local people rather than tourists and had a really nice feel.

I had a lovely little wander through the closely packed cobbled streets until I reached the top of the town.

From the top of the town you get a really lovely view over the rooftops and the Zahara – El Gastor reservoir down below which is fed by the Guadalete river.

Last but not least the final town we went to visit was Grazalema, and I really like this town too. This one is not on a hilltop, it’s nestled in the foothills. But although it was by now late afternoon, this one was really bustling too. There was the usual bull statue in the main street……………most Andalucian towns have one of these.

There was a really nice central plaza lined with cafes, bars and restaurants.

Some huge cacti and an amazing turron shop. I love a turron shop!

This town had my favourite sign………………………and I love Spanish signs…………….whoever designs the graphics in Spain, needs a special award as far as I’m concerned. But I can’t just read the sign…………….I’m really inquisitive and I have to question further……………..a whole thought process goes around in my head because I think all the time……..too much! So here is the sign………………….

I understand the sign……………..no dog peeing here…………I get that…………but that got me thinking. Surely you’d have to avoid the whole area with the dog. I don’t own a dog (unfortunately, as I’d love one) but I know enough about them to know that surely when the dog has decided it’s having a pee you can’t stop it can you? Perhaps they did not want to offend dog owners but putting ‘No dogs!” But it made me chuckle anyway.

Then I discovered some really delicious little sweets and I may have brought quite a few home.🤭I like these lots. It said Mantecados on the wrapper so I’m assuming that’s what the are called. They were almonds (very finely chopped and ground), wheatflour, cinnamon and sugar………………..all bound together. They were very crumbly and lovely with a coffee.

Then I discovered a local traditional story……………and I love a bit of local history and folklore and this really made me smile. The town in split into two halves, the upper town and the lower town. The word “hopo” or “jopo” was, and is still used today, to distinguish residents from each of the sides of town. Figuratively, apparently they translate it here as bull penis! Now if you live in the upper town you are a Jopones or ‘big bull penis’ and if you live in the lower part of town you are a Jopiches or ‘small bull penis’. The two local youth football teams are still to this day given the same names. It might just be me, but I would have thought that you might want to live in the top half of town and play for team Jopones…………………..I mean, honestly, if you have a choice of being a ‘small bull penis’ or a ‘big bull penis’ you are going to go large aren’t you!?🤣 It’s little stories and traditions like this that make me fall in love with little towns like Grazalema, definitely one to visit.

So that was my little road trip from town to town over, with a coffee stop in each. Dinner that night was pizza! Not Spanish I know, but I was quite hungry for carbs, but not quite hungry enough for my pizza which came as a calzone the size of a small baby. 🤣 I didn’t manage it all but what I did eat was lovely.

One more hotel breakfast and it was time to leave for the UK. The flight was not until 21:00 at night though, so I was in no rush to leave the hotel and Ronda. So I had a lovely morning relaxing and reading. I suggested to Mr Fitness that I might like to call at a coastal town for a quick look on my way home, just to see what the Costa del Sol is all about. I’ve never been and you are not a true Brit unless you have graced the Costa del Sol!😂

Don’t be offended when I say this but you have to remember I like quiet, I like culture, I like history, I like traditional food, I like pretty, I like unpretentious, authentic places where there are very few of my fellow countrymen. I had a sneaky suspicion I would not like it but I wanted to look anyway. I’d already ruled out Fuengirola and Torremolinos as I knew they’d be too busy and British for me. So the question was…………..do I go and have a look at Marbella or Estepona for a couple of hours?

The internet said to go to Marbella if you want opulence, exclusivity, timeless glamour and allure. I didn’t! So I opted for Estepona where it said I would find undeniable charm, Spanish authenticity, tranquil ambience, lovely beach, little streets and tapas. Did I find that…………………….no! Did I like it? It was ok but not really. I did not find anything authentically Spanish, perhaps I did not look hard enough. I did find lots of British people and British bars. It was quite expensive and I didn’t really find anything of culture. Was it authentic…………..there was lots of fake………….fake designer goods shops, fake boobs, eyebrows and other body parts, and fake Spanish style streets to make you feel as though you are in an ‘old town’. Not that there’s anything wrong with that if that’s what you want……………….but it’s important that you know that before you go!

Did I like anything about it? Yes! It does have a lovely beach with some little old boats washed up on it.

It is very, very sparkly and clean with some lovely flowers and fountains.

There is a very nice marina and when the sun is shining it would be a lovely place to watch the boats come and go with an Aperol Spritz…………….but I thought I’d have one just to make sure, as I don’t want to misreport!😆

If you like jogging on a promenade it would be perfect………….it’s never ending and there are even some exercise stations which I also thought I’d sample for you before reporting, proving that I have not been to a gym too often, I prefer yoga studios and outdoor exercise.

There were some lovely cake shops………….which I also thought I would try as I like my reviews to be correct so I thought I’d better check.🤭

So don’t let me put you off entirely, it has some very nice parts, it’s just that overall, it’s not for me. I’ve been, seen, am happy I did go but would probably not return there for a holiday. However, if you like resort based holidays, sunshine, mingling with your fellow British, getting your party gear on and dancing and drinking the night away I am sure you would love it, there are lots of things to like about it.

So that’s my whistle stop tour of a little part of Andalucía for you. There’s so much more to see …………………. like the western cities of Cadiz and Jerez, and some excellent walking. I am really looking forward to making a more energetic return for some Autumn sunshine and exploring a bit more. It’s perfect for an out of season break. I think it would be a bit hot for a pale skinned, auburn haired girl like me to stay for too long in summer but I would give Andalucía as a whole a big thumbs up!

I now have to endure 6 weeks of harsh Yorkshire weather, and 6 weeks of work, before my next little solo adventure , so watch this space……….

Bobble hat; sheepskin mittens; rucksack; walking boots; flask of tea; Christmas cake; map…………come on…….we are going on a little adventure!

I’m going to share a little secret……Swaledale! My favourite Yorkshire Dale. I’m back from Spain and I did not want to come home! 😆 I’ll  tell you all about that very soon, because there’s lots to share so it may take me a little longer.

This is just a little interim update on today’s adventure! We are two hours away from a huge Yorkshire snow storm, so I thought if I’m going to get a bit of fresh air before going back to work on Monday, I need to go today.

So this is Swaledale! How absolutely gorgeous is she! 😍 Quite possibly my favourite dale and no-one else there today. Enjoy the pictures……..not many words because the pictures just speak for themselves.

It’s hard to describe Yorkshire in winter………it’s bitterly cold, it’s bleak, it’s lonely, it’s unforgiving………….but it’s still so unbelievably beautiful.

There were icy waterfalls…….

There were Swaledale sheep………lots of them. 😍 Yes, the dale even has its own breed of sheep…….the Swaledale. It has a black face with a white nose, white eyes, and curly horns. It has really thick wool for it to survive in these harsh conditions. It is bred for its meat, which is really sweet and flavoursome.

There was a tea shop….

There was home made Christmas cake and tea by the river……

There were gorgeous icy views down the valley from up above……..

There were wet feet 😂…………

Tractor driving……

Glorious mother nature…….

But goodness it was cold…….even the trees seemed to be reaching out their naked branches to get closer to the sun……………

So I feel like I’ve had a little productive, lung busting adventure while everyone else seems to have been huddled inside waiting for the snow. So the secret it out………Swaledale……..my favourite Yorkshire dale that I wanted to share. Don’t tell everyone though……it’s a secret. I’ve managed to convince myself that Yorkshire is not too bad after all…………….but I’m still missing my little Christmas trip………so much so that I managed to find Rioja Blanco and Tapas on the way home😂😂 Where there’s a will there’s a way! A little bit of Spain in Yorkshire!

Well here we are again…………the most wonderful time of the year………….. I absolutely love Christmas. I love lots of other times of year too, but I really, really like Christmas!

I’ve been a bit absent from here. Not because I don’t have lots to tell you about, but more because I’ve been too busy to write about it because I’ve sort of been meeting myself coming backwards and this is sort of a lesson on how not to approach Christmas if you don’t want to crash and burn out just before. It’s also my hibernating time, I tend to stick close to home for a couple of months just before Christmas, pottering about, so my adventures are little Yorkshire adventures near home, rather than big foreign adventures. Am I ready for Christmas?……………….No, but I will be by Wednesday!😆But today I’m like Steve!………

How’s life been? Well there’s so many adjectives to describe the last two months……………varied, fun, hectic, stressful, joyful, sad………the full spectrum. So here’s a little run down and whistle stop tour of what this half term and Christmas looks like for me, and then you’ll know why I’ve been quiet, and also a little confession. 🤭

Work…………

First things first……………..work. I work in a school so I work in ‘half term’ periods of time. Work takes up most of my time as I lurch from one half term to the next. But goodness me…………………..the half term before Christmas and the one at the end of the academic year are just something else!! Oh my days I’m exhausted, this half term is just the period of over excitement, glitter, parties, nativities, pantomime visits, out of tune singing, visits from Santa, selection boxes, tiredness tantrums (including a few of my own!😂) but goodness, we have made it to the end! Something to make you giggle though. To encourage oracy this term we have displayed three facts about each staff member. One of them is false. The whole idea is to encourage conversation and questioning, and the children have to work out which one is false by speaking and questioning the adults. So then………..from this blog……….. how well do you know me? Which is my false fact? 😂

The Cake…………………

Christmas preparations start in our house at the beginning of November with the annual baking of the Christmas Cake. A British Christmas Cake is a really dense, moist fruitcake, covered in marzipan and decorated quite elaborately. You can buy them but I like to make my own and think of a different decoration design each year. The downside is they take a full day to make! They have so many ingredients in them. All different dried and candied fruits, eggs, butter, alcohol, sugar, flour, spices, molasses. Then one you’ve prepared and covered your entire work surface with prepared ingredients you’ve then got to combine it all together in the right order. Then it’s baked for at least 4-5 hours, covering the top with parchment paper and the sides with newspaper to make sure it does not burn.

This all has to be complete at least 5 weeks before Christmas because then you ‘feed’ the cake at least once a week with brandy. The finished cake is then really dark and moist and is ready for decorating around a week before Christmas. Depending on how elaborate your design is this can take another day or more. I didn’t have much time this year so this year it is quite a simple Christmas present with fondant icing. I say quite simple, but oh my goodness, I’ve had a near melt down doing the bow for the top………….this is bow number three! 😂 The first two went in the bin after a few tears and a tantrum. I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I’m still not happy with this bow, it looks a bit untidy, but there comes a point when you have to just let things go! I can’t wait to cut into it, but that isn’t done until Christmas day. I like mine with crumbly white Wensleydale cheese, which is very much a ‘Yorkshire’ accompaniment and way of eating Christmas cake.

The Mince Pie………………….

No Christmas is complete without the mince pie! And my mince pies have a bit of a reputation as I put a little secret ingredient in the pastry. Everywhere I go I get……………”Oh, and bring some of your mince pies”. I’m almost up to triple figures of mince pie manufacture this year. It’s a non stop vocation. There is nothing quite like a cup of Yorkshire Tea and a mince pie after a day at work! That’s if I get home before they’ve all been eaten.

Wreath making……………….

I love being creative and any opportunity there is to go to a floristry workshop I’m there because I just love flowers and all things nature or garden related. So early December I went on another wreath making workshop and was really pleased with the finished result……………………..but Hannah who runs the workshops is so very, very talented. There’s always such a lovely group of ladies there too to have a good chatter to…………………….and always CAKE!😍 No workshop would be complete without cake! It does not quite look like this now following a storm the day after I put it out but hey ho……I had fun making it.

Trimming Up………………….

I always smile when I hear “Trimming Up” because it’s very much a Yorkshire phrase but I didn’t realise this until I moved down South and told everyone at work one day on leaving for home one night at the start of December that I was going to spend the evening “Trimming up”. I had to explain that it’s the process of putting all your lights and decorations and the tree up for Christmas.

Trimming up is quite a big event in Yorkshire………………….and it always gets done in our house with Polar Express playing on the TV in the background and it signals the time when you can officially open the Quality Street tin……………. (which of course is another mighty fine Yorkshire export!) Like little shiny jewels in a tin. Although I have to say I’m a little disappointed to see that this year the shiny foil wrappers have gone and been replaced with dull paper. I’m all into saving the planet but I’m sure there are more damaging environmental pollutants than ruining that sound, feel and rustle of my Quality Street shiny foil wrapper at Christmas. However, it does not stop me eating them………..I always buy my milkman a box for delivering my milk from the farm, in all weather, before I get up at 6:30am. However, as always, I ate his Quality Streets and had to buy them again. 🤣🤣 So I have to be careful not to buy his chocolates too far in advance or it can end up being quite an expensive present depending on how many times I have to replace them.

Parties……………………………

So many parties! Two work nights out………………..the first one one with the little business and admin team……….a rather dignified affair at a very nice restaurant.

Although, I wasn’t feeling too sparkly! Looking a bit pale and feeling a bit peaky (I’ll explain below) but not wanting to miss a night out I went out wearing my 24 hour blood pressure monitor which the doctor had insisted I wear immediately, stuffed all the wires coming out of the bottom of my sparkly sleeve into a handbag, and dropped the monitor back off at the doctors 24 hours later with a letter detailing the timeline of my partying the night before to explain any adverse readings! 🤣🤣 I’m any doctor’s worst nightmare.

And then the more raucous ‘bonkers bingo’ with the full staff crew on the last day of term.

We like to let our hair down at this one but on waking up with a bit of a fuzzy head on Saturday morning I have decided that dancing on a chair, in heels while delivering my best rendition of ‘Sweet Caroline’ and waving a glowstick perhaps wasn’t my greatest moment! 😂 This photo makes me giggle for so many reasons though. There’s the look on the chef’s face as he stares out of the kitchen wondering what on earth is going on at Table 10, then there is my lovely friend trying to graciously mount her chair without everyone seeing her underwear! 🤣

Then a night out with my lovely friend from language class where we always set ourselves the challenge of spending the night talking only in Italian………………and miraculously we get better and better the more we have to drink and by the end of the night we are fluent…………….or at least we think we are.🤣

Finally a lovely night out with my two friends from my school days………………….those friends that can read your mind, know what you are thinking before you say it, will always be there and will always have your back. Friends like that are precious and I have quite a few. And then a lovely night out with my two banking besties who I worked with in the city when we were all chasing our high flying banking careers……………………….before we realised there were far more important things in life like living life in a slightly slower lane, babies and eating cake.

Singing…………………………..

I do loads of it! In the shower, on the way to work, while I’m cooking …………………… you can sing anywhere! My days of singing in the Philharmonic Chorus are quite a number of years ago and I just don’t have the time to commit to singing at that level. However, at Christmas I always get a few requests to come out of singing retirement and I just can’t say no. So I’ve done two concerts this Christmas………………….one at advent and one this weekend………………..and I’ve enjoyed them so much. It takes me a while to get my tongue around the Latin again but a few evenings on the piano at home rehearsing and It’s like I never stopped. I swear though, that no matter how many years have passed ………………………. I still struggle with my candle at the advent concert and it’s still an absolute miracle that I’ve never ignited my hair and gone up in flames. Try it………………..holding a full folder of music on one hand, a lit candle in the other, walking down an uneven aisle, keeping time and pitch, all while singing in Latin. 🤣🤣🤣 There are just too many variables for me there with my menopausal brain.

Taking the Duchess of Worsbrough to see the Duchess of Devonshire………………………..

The Christmas day out with just my Mum and I. Yes I got told off a few times but I love her to the moon and back and we had such a lovely day at the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire’s home, Chatsworth, looking around the house at the Christmas decorations.

Chatsworth, a Grade I listed property from the 17th century, is just gorgeous at any time of year, but at Christmas it is just amazing.

We managed a little walk around the garden to look at the Emperor Fountain but we didn’t go too far into the gorgeous gardens because it was very cold and at 85 years old she’s a little bit fragile now.

Our little Christmas lunch was at Charlie’s Bistro in Baslow and it was delicious. I get a little bit fed up of turkey by the end of Christmas so I had corn fed Chicken Supreme with a pea and pancetta sauce…………..it was fabulous and I will definitely return to Charlie’s, I highly recommend it.

Running…………………………

There’s never enough time for playing out, but whenever there’s a spare minute on a weekend I like to be outside whatever the weather. It can be running, walking or just general meandering. Nature is the best medicine of all.

I’ve still managed to fit a bit of running in too. But after this year’s club championship I’m lowering my miles and just enjoying it. Quite often now I don’t even wear my watch because looking at stats can become a bit of an obsession and that’s not what it’s about for me. It’s all about keeping an element of fitness, getting out in the fresh air, socialising and just generally enjoying life. Take yesterday for instance……………….the annual club pre-Christmas run………….what a laugh and absolute blast. Somebody had the mighty fine idea to run from our rural little farming town in the middle of nowhere to the nearest city, Sheffield …………….. stopping for alcoholic beverages.

It doesn’t sound too bad……………….were it not for the fact that the nearest city was 13 miles away, not 11.69, and I was dressed as the Angel Gabriel!!🤣🤣Complete with wings, tutu and halo.

Gosh, my wings and halo were more of a hinderance than a help………………13 miles is a long way to run at the best of times…………but they were an added complexity I could have done without!🤣 Anyway……………..an excellent time was had by all but I was glad to lose the wings and have a tipple or two we got there!!

My Grown Adults…………….

They are back!!!!!😍😍😍 I have both my chicks back in the nest for a week! And that makes me so happy! They are my greatest achievement and no matter how much fun they make of me and how much they laugh at me and my escapades, they can wrap me round their little finger…………….they get away with all sorts. But having children can also be quite hard and mentally draining for anyone. There’s always normally something to worry about, when’s one is sorted, something happens to the other……and vice versa and as much as you try to cut those apron strings…………….they always find their way back to Mum when the going gets tough and advice (and money😆) is sought. I do a lot of worrying for them and whilst the big one lives away now the younger one is back at home and finding life oh so hard at the moment. So I’ve also spent a lot of time being therapist, shoulder to lean on, career advisor, cheerer upper and general encouragement to get through the day.

But I’m not completely oblivious or blind to the fact that the added incentive to come back home at Christmas is not Christmas itself, neither is it the desire to see Mum…………….it is 100% the Christmas refrigerator!

I did the Christmas food shop, filled the fridge, labelled everything that was ‘ingredients’ that they can’t eat (yes, I have to do that or half my ingredients for Christmas Day will go missing!😂). Then went out to run an errand for 30 minutes. I came back and they were exactly where I thought they would be……………..in the kitchen, fridge wide open, attacking the contents like a pair of locusts! Anyone with two strapping men like these two will tell you………………..you just can’t fill them!

So as you can see I’ve had quite a lot on, but Yorkshire bits and bobs rather than big adventures, so not really enough to report which is why I’ve been a bit quiet. And whilst I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself, next year I’m going to have a bit of a rethink because I feel a bit jaded and I think I’ve peaked too soon!😂😂 I am living proof that you cannot work full time with 330 children, be the fastest 53 year old, super Mum, baker, singer, party animal, Angel Gabriel and still be standing by the time you get to Christmas. And why do I say this!? Well I’ve had a good old telling off from the doctor. I thought I felt a bit tired and tearful but just kept ploughing on. That is of course until I went for my annual review the other week to be told my blood pressure is so very very high and I’ve got really quite severe anaemia. So I’m going to have a very restful Christmas (once I’ve cooked and sorted Christmas lunch for everyone) ………………………..and this is where my confession comes in.

I’m here, I’ll be fine, but I will tell you that I have a little mantra for what to do when you are a little unwell or feeling a bit under the weather:

• 1. Eat cake.
• 2. A little retail therapy.
• 3. Nature (should be at the top of the list………………..just get out there and do anything).
• 4. Book a flight. 🤭

Now my little confession is I’ve done all 4……………….in the space of 3 hours!😂

First I thought I’d go and have a little look for a new dress. Now this is fine but I live in an all male household……………my men are not very good at giving you an opinion on women’s dresses. So this is where my Mum comes in……………….When I go shopping and I can’t decide I send her a picture from the changing room and she says yes or no. Only sometimes she can be so very brutally honest and say too much, like only a Mum is capable of. So I sent the following picture………………………

……………………………..and she said “the dress is lovely but you look dreadful!”🤣🤣 Now, knowing I’m a bit poorly you’d think she’d hold off a little, but not my Mum…………if you want honest ……………….. you get honest. Yes, I look a little thin, tired and pale……..I’m anaemic and ready for a rest but I did think ‘dreadful’ was going a bit too far.

So I bought the dress and called at the coffee shop next door for cake. Then I went to the botanical gardens for a little walk around and then I came home and booked a flight to Spain for 26th December and I feel so much better already!😂 Yes, I know I said I wasn’t going abroad until February……….but this one is a last minute booking on doctors orders…………………….well, he didn’t actually say “book a holiday” but that’s how I interpreted slow down, rest, stop worrying about everyone else and try and shut out all the noise for a while. If I stay at home it will be cold, it will be wet and I’ll find a multitude of ‘jobs’ to do…………..or everyone else will find a multitude of jobs for me to do. I need to go to a happy place, with a pile of books, straight after Christmas and not move. I’m only going for 4 days but with an airport only half an hour away I can get to Spain quicker than I can to most places in the UK. The pile of books to read at the side of my bed is growing so I’m going to put a pile of them in a carry on case with my new dress, my fluffy robe, my lotions and potions ………………. and my iron tablets 😆…………………….and I am going to a nice hotel and I am not going to move except maybe for a bit of yoga or a stroll to the town square for coffee and to watch the world go by.

It will be heaven. I am going to eat tortilla, cake and ice cream (not all at the same time) and a whole host of other lovely food. I’m not taking my running kit………..I’m going off grid for an unravel, relax and reset! But before that, the table is set and I’m in full Christmas day food preparation mode.

It’s important to live life to the full, one thing I can guarantee is that time will pass, it won’t return, you can never get it back so make the most of it. But my advice this Christmas would be not to take it to quite the extreme that I do as eventually it will catch up with you! 😂 I don’t think I’ve got the balance quite right but I’m working on it. So whilst I sign off to enjoy Christmas with my family and then jet off for my unravel, relax and reset all that’s left is to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and send lots of love and hugs. All I hope is that everyone gets to spend some time with those they love, have a relax, and I’ll see you on the other side in 2025 when I will tell you all about my twixmas trip (although I don’t think there will be that much to tell if I’m not moving😆). But I’m sure I’ll find something to tell you about.

There will be no New Years resolutions from me. I may decide to start acting my age, but then again I might not! 😆 I’m not suddenly going to join a gym (I don’t do them…………………New Years Resolutions or the gym😂).

But 2025 is going to be a little slower with more time for me, and more time to relax. I will still be seeing the world and having adventures when I come out of winter hibernation, but at a slower pace. In between my weekend UK and Yorkshire adventures, I have loose arrangements made for a nice little solo city break abroad in February, some walking in another Canary Island in April, a Greek island in May, my annual 5 week long Spanish summer in the north of Spain which hopefully will include a lot of relaxing, some retirement apartment hunting and some walking (maybe with one of my boys), and then a trip to Andalucía in the south of Spain to warm up in October. Plenty to tell you about in 2025. So live, love, laugh …………………. be brave, take some risks, follow your dreams and desires, and make the most of every day, not just 1st January!

A feeling persisted that I never should discover what I sought for unless I could travel in the wild , unpeopled parts of the world………….Clara Vyvyan, Roots and Stars, 1963

Oh……………have I got lots to tell you about, this will be a long one. What has to be the busiest half term of the school year ever, was followed by an amazing little trip and the discovery of one of the best books I have ever, ever read!

I was so ready for this break. I thought, “Where can I go where I can get some sun on my face, wind in my hair, some good food, a bit of exercise outdoors and get away from the world?”. The decision was made to walk the GR131 across Gran Canaria……………. 80.3 km in 5 days.

The GR131 is a long distance path across all of the Canary Islands and the idea is you can start in the east of the Carnaries in Lanzarote, and by walking and using only ferry to connect the islands you can walk across all seven of the islands, 560 km, in around 32 stages. I only had 8 days so chose Gran Canaria which the walk traverses straight through the middle from South to North (or vice versa) can be done in 5 days with a couple of rest days built in for relaxation………….it was a holiday after all.

I always like to have book to read while I am walking and my chosen book for this walk was ‘Windswept’ by an author called Annabel Abbs. I have to say it is the most thought provoking book I think I have ever read. I think Annabel and I might have been twins in a different life!😂The opening quote is from that book and I’ll share a few more throughout this post.

The book explores why women walk. It goes back to when women were expected to stay at home and do as they were told. But it explores the walking journeys of 6 remarkable women who didn’t do as they were told, and they walked………………alone…………….in an age when walking alone as a women was completely unheard of! It looks at the reasons for women walking and concludes that there can be many. It examines the journeys of: Frieda von Richthofen (author), who walked for ‘freedom’, leaving an unhappy relationship; Gwen John (artist) who walked ‘in search of self and solitude’; Clara Vyvyan (writer) who walked to ‘simplify life from the weight of complexity’; Nan Shepherd (writer and poet) who walked ‘in search of being and meaning’; Simone de Beauvoir who walked ‘in search of body’, to rest her brain from anxiety and reset; and finally Georgia O’Keefe (American painter) who walked ‘in search of freedom and wide open spaces’.

Now Annabel is like me in certain respects. We are of a certain age, children, married……………………….and she has this overriding urge to be in nature and walk……………………..alone. Writing this book was her way of trying to understand why women walk and why she herself had a constant desire to walk and escape. She examines what happens when you do walk, how do you unbecome what you are, and indeed why, and what happens when you become ‘Windswept’………..can things ever go back to how they were, do you even want them to or are you for ever changed.

Reading this book was a bit of a ‘lightbulb’ moment for me. I got to the end and was that little bit closer to finding me and understanding me, and I’m almost there. When I tell people I like to walk, sometimes alone, often abroad, for weeks at a time, they usually look at me a little oddly. I get questions like “Why do you do that?”, “Aren’t you scared?”, “How do you find your way?”, “What if you get attacked?”…………… and statements like “aren’t you brave”, “I could not do that”. Some people think you are odd, some see you as an inspiration and most people just don’t get it. And sometimes I don’t know the answer either……….but this book answers all those questions and more.

So throughout this walk, I read this book, which by examining these 6 amazing women, revealed to me why I feel the way I do. So as I was reading it I was thinking, “So who am I? Am I Georgia, Nan, Gwen, Frieda, Clara or Simone?” I concluded that I’m probably a bit of all 6 mixed together………….but ultimately I’m Joanne, there are many reasons for me walking, all quite normal and rational, and I’m not some freak of nature. I’m most definitely ‘Windswept’, I have changed my outlook on life considerably on my journeys, will probably not go back to how I was before and don’t want to, and I don’t think others want me to go back to being the over anxious, over thinking human being that I was. Most importantly, I now value my worth and think I’m a pretty amazing individual in my own rite……..I’m unique (most people would be glad there’s only one of me 🤭)…………..and it’s taken me a long time to realise just how great I am and be happy in my own skin!

This book is not just for women, I would recommend that every man who has a woman who walks, or one who is struggling through that menopausal life stage should read this………….it will explain why they feel the need to walk or escape, why you should let them walk and discover themselves and it will give anyone who reads it an insight into the female brain, because it’s complex 😆. I’ve said time and time again…………………………………….we are simply not the same as men, we are beautifully different and are wired up completely differently. One is not more superior to the other, we are just different………….and this walk and book confirmed that for me 100%!

So on to the walk, the GR131 through Gran Canaria. It’s amazing and should be on the the ‘bucket list’ of walks to do for anyone who likes walking. Only this one was a walk with a bit of a difference…………..I was not alone. My ultrarunning other half (Mr Fitness as he is known by friends)………..had decided this one was a step too far! Ascending to just below 1900m, very mountainous, necessitating map reading, according to Cicerone a ‘highly challenging walk for experienced adventurers’ ……….. he put his foot down and said “NO!” And he very rarely tells me “No” as he knows it’s not a word I respond to very well, as you can imagine.😂 He pointed out that in addition to the above, it is a path travelled by very few, there would be low lying cloud…………….and then proceeded to remind me about the number of times this year alone I have come unstuck and called home for rescue………………..and there was no way he was coming all the way to Gran Canaria to rescue me apparently!

With my wings suitably clipped I reluctantly agreed he could come. However, I have to point out this is our first multi-day trek together! It is also likely to be our last! 🤣 We are completely incompatible as walking partners! We are pretty much opposites in lots of ways, but in life in general that’s ok as they say opposites attract! However in walking………….and the book ‘Windswept’ touches on this subject……….you should only walk with someone unobtrusive, similar and with the same objectives as you………….which is where it sort of falls apart for us.

Now Mr Fitness is not similar to me and most certainly does not have the same objectives. I like to meander, I like coffee and cake and ice cream, I have no timeframe when on holiday, I like things to just evolve, I don’t like to rush. Mr Fitness, being a competitive athlete, has to be ‘top dog’, has a plan and a strategy, is obsessed with fitness data, has a body like a temple and has a ‘goal’ for everything. He has to be ‘commander in chief’ of any situation and likes to try and organise everyone else! And if there is one thing I’m not good at it’s being told what to do……………….it instinctively uncovers my desire to do the opposite. I become naughty!😂

Just before we set off he started trying to tell me what to pack in my rucksack, how to carry it, which of the emergency equipment I would be carrying, muttering something about a tent and a stove…………………………at which point I had a mini tantrum and called a meeting to set out the ground rules! I advised him I was going on a ‘holiday’; I would not be carrying a tent as I would not be sleeping in one; I would not need a stove as Gran Canaria has multiple coffee shops; I would be substituting emergency blanket and water filtration tablets with face cream and shampoo in my rucksack; and I, and I alone, would be deciding route, pace, stopping points and accommodation. I then proceeded to remind him I had been walking numerous times without him, packed and carried my own rucksack, walked across an entire European country and survived!! I stressed he did not have to walk with me if he wanted to walk quickly, as I was not racing him. I advised him that from time to time I like to walk quietly, and not to be offended when I told him it was time for him to go on ahead or shut up! So the ground rules were set, and off we went.

Day 1 – Maspalomas to Arteara

We arrived at the airport the afternoon before we were going to start the walk. It’s an easy 45 minute ride on the No.66 bus direct from the airport to Maspalomas where the walk departs from.

We were travelling with just our rucksacks. Mine was its usual weight packed exactly as I like it, with just things that are necessary to me. All very efficient in my colour coordinated bags. Mr Fitness’s rucksack was just as I thought it would be. After spending weeks bragging about how he would be able to get all his stuff in a small rucksack half the size of mine he looked like he was going to Everest base camp. He’d had to upsize! I’d talked him out of camping stove and tent but he had his water filtration, bivvy bag, emergency shelter and more emergency survival equipment than the Red Cross. 😂

Maspalomas was not really my ‘cup of tea’…………..I’ll be brutally honest and say I did not like it. It does have the most beautiful beach, some nice sand dunes but other than that it’s just bars, British, bars, kebabs, beer and sex (I’ll expand on that in a minute). It’s as holiday resorty as it gets and if I’d ended up there on holiday for a full week I would have been longing for escape. It’s a love or hate sort of place, and if you like it that’s fine, it wouldn’t do for us all to like the same thing would it? However the apartment was good. We stayed in a lovely little studio apartment owned by the lovely Noelia and her husband, in a nice quiet area out of the hubbub. This accommodation was recommended by Mr Fitness who has used it as a base when he ran the Gran Canaria Ultra Run a couple of years ago…………. the only one he did not finish…………….but we are not allowed to mention that.🤭I loved Noelia……….who sent him a message just after we left the following day to say it was a pleasure to meet his very pretty, friendly wife who has the most amazing skin! 😂😍😂 Thanks Noelia! I’ll stay again!

The first evening was not without mishap……………..I don’t know how I do it. Mr Fitness, training for his latest challenge, had decided to go for a run on the beach. I’d settled with my book and a glass of Pinot Blush on the patio. The evening was spent preparing, which involved a trip to the supermarket for some provisions for the day one walk as there were to be no cafes or places to get food or drinks en-route. I was in the supermarket, waiting for Mr Fitness who I’d arranged to meet, choosing some bread and snacks when I smiled and said hello to a gentleman. I only smiled! He then proceeded to chat, which I don’t have a problem with as I’m friendly, however it did not take him long to ask if I would like to go to the mixed couples nudist section of the sand dunes with him. 😦 I glanced around for Mr Fitness to come to my rescue, told my suitor that I had a date with a Magnum double chocolate and caramel ice cream and got out of there as fast as I could! Now I know I’m a bit out of touch and naïve but that will be my lasting memory of Maspalomas……….I don’t think I’ll be rushing to return or chat to strangers (I should have listened to my Mum on that one).

The following morning saw our departure from Maspalomas, apparently the departure point for Christopher Columbus on one of his voyages to America, so he obviously couldn’t wait to depart either.

We were heading for Arteara at the base of the mountains…………a steady climb. The first five kilometres are a little boring. It’s still a bit residential, flat, not very green, and just a bit bland……………………….apart from some questionable graffiti which you can’t help but notice! I told you they were obsessed with sex here!

You start by walking out of town up a long, dry river bed.

It’s not too long before you get out in the open and spot the first of many yellow arrows which seem to have become the way markers for any long distance path or Camino. You pass through swathes of palm trees, past old dry stone aqueducts and plenty of prickly pear plants. As you head further away from civilisation you start to see the mountains towering above you and start to get the most beautiful views. This was when I started enjoying the walk.

All went smoothly until we took a rather questionable route choice. We could have carried straight on over the looming hill and down into the small village of Arteara where we were staying for the night. However, we thought it would be more exciting to walk down the Barranco de Fataga – a dry reed and river bed in the bottom of a steep gorge which also terminated in the village. This turned out to be not such a good idea. The reeds were densely thick, twice my height, with the narrowest little path through them. The path seemed to go on for ever. Then it kept ending with no way out in sight, requiring a retreat backwards and a hunt for another way out. I kept getting my rucksack stuck on the reed canes and kept having to be released by Mr Fitness (much to his annoyance), I cut my leg and was pretty close to having a full on meltdown when the end of the path finally arrived. I thought I was very brave!

The final hour and a bit had been a battle. 16km after departing and over 2,000 feet of ascent and I was so glad to see the little village of Arteara and the Finca Las Tenerias where I had booked a room for the night.

I was so ready for a beer………………a large one!

I spent the majority of the evening trying to extract cactus hairs from my skin. Every time I brushed my hand against my skin I found another, and the thing is they are so painful and you can’t even see them. Down in the reed bed the wind was blowing down the gorge. They must just travel in the wind and embed themselves in you. I was covered in them. And they are so hard to get out as they are fine like hairs and you can hardly see them. You have to first find them with a magnifier and then pull them out with tweezers. I didn’t get them anywhere else on the route so if you travel this way my advice would be don’t take the reed bed route. Go over the top! I’m still finding the odd one now……..weeks later!

This was a really different overnight stay………….it’s the only place to stay in the village. It’s sort of like a little commune (all German), who live a self sufficient life off the land and rent a few rooms out and feed you at their on-site restaurant which is also open to the public. They have a little farm shop, it is in the middle of nowhere and they have some bizarre bits of sculpture here and there and an old piano. It’s sort of weird in a nice way.

The food in the restaurant was delicious and they put us in the very sweet self-contained Casa Bonita at the bottom of the garden. This is when you realise how much your world is different to theirs. The strange thing was this little house had no key to the door, anyone could just have walked in, day or night……………and for some reason this made me feel really uncomfortable. I guess there is no need for a lock there. At home we would never leave our door unlocked, even in the house in the middle of the day, we lock our doors in the UK all the time. But sleeping with the door unlocked would be unheard of.

However, I had the most dreamy peaceful night’s sleep one I’d wedged a chair under the door handle and balanced a bag of dried fruit and nuts on the handle to alert me should anyone try to enter, which of course they didn’t!😂 And that was all despite the presence of a rooster whose body clock seemed to have gone awry……….he crowed all night and was silent by morning.

Day 2 – Arteara to San Bartolome de Tirijana (Tunte)

This was a lovely walking day, so much more enjoyable than the day before. A steady uphill 13 km with just over 655 metres of ascent.

We did not need to set off early so started with the most amazing breakfast served in the farmhouse of the old finca. So much food for two people……………..and freshly baked bread rolls, butter and cooked eggs of your choice…….it was delicious.

We departed for the day and started following the arrows over some amazing mountain scenery. It’s a little bit like a moonscape with little white houses and villages dotted here and there. Cacti and prickly pear are everywhere, but fortunately none of the little hairy things from the day before. I spotted some lovely little garden ornament flowerpot men outside one finca and another even had a camel on which to rest your weary legs!!

The nice thing about this stage is that there is a halfway stop in the gorgeous little village of Fataga. It was here where we had a little downpour and where we had a little falling out, well not a falling out, a difference of objective and opinion have we to say. I was apparently ‘dawdling’ too slowly. I was taking too many photos and taking too long over them. You see the thing is when walking with someone like Mr Fitness it always has the feeling of an army bootcamp. He asks you the same three questions (sometimes worded slightly differently) over and over again. And they are:

• What’s your number of heart beats per minute? – now I haven’t got a clue……so I have to check on my watch and tell him. He then has to make sure his is a lot lower and then inform you that all is well, his is currently forty beats slower than yours, proving his superior fitness!
  
• What’s your average speed? – obviously a lot slower than his so we are still all good.
  
• What’s your VO2 Max? – no idea…………I don’t even know what that is.
  

And it goes on and on like this. Now I’m not competitive when I’m on a walking holiday so I just keep giving him the stats, stroking his ego, and sometimes I admit to even falsifying my data output to so that the fitness gap between he and I broadens into an even wider chasm, making him look far superior. Anything for an easy life.

Now, I too have three questions which I ask over, and over………………but for some reason my questions seem to rather annoy him which I feel is a little unfair and one sided. Mine are:

• Do you think there will be a toilet near here, I’m getting ready for a wee?
  
  Where and when do you think I’ll be able to get an ice cream as I need one?
  
• Are we nearly there yet?

Yes, I’ve just read that back and appreciate that it might be like taking a small toddler on a day trip so he probably does have justification in his annoyance……………..but I’m on holiday!

So we arrived in Fataga where he spotted me dart inside the door of the Restaurante Terraza. They weren’t busy and although it was too early for lunch I sprinted inside to see if they sold ice creams before Mr Fitness could stop me. I know it was raining, but ice cream is acceptable in all weathers. They didn’t sell ice creams, they are a restaurant, but the lovely waiter pointed out that if I just wanted a coffee and a warm up inside that was fine, and “Do you want to look at the dessert menu?” he said. He must have seen my disappointment at the lack of Magnum ice creams. Well, what can I say……….they say these walks ‘provide’………and they do! I partook in the most divine, warm, icing sugar dusted, chocolate brownie with hot chocolate sauce, a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream and a fancy wafer biscuit! Meanwhile Mr Fitness sipped his decaffinated coffee (he does not do caffeine – it’s bad for the body temple) and looked at the chocolate sauce covered me like he had discovered the secret as to why he was a great athlete and I wasn’t!🤣🤣

We left Fataga suitably warmed up and headed up and up into the increasingly cloudy mountains to the village of San Bartolome de Tirijana, known locally as Tunte. There were some beautiful flowers but it was a tougher afternoon with all the ascent weighted towards the latter end of the walk. There are clear signs of recent fire devastation towards the end of the incline but recovery is in evidence and it’s still pretty.

I was relieved to see the small white town of Tunte in the distance by which time the sun had made an appearance and the blue skies were back.

Tunte is a pretty town. Flower filled balconies abound and we stayed in a delightful little studio apartment inside a traditional stone and red plaster building which had the cutest little flower and plant filled courtyard. It had the comfiest little bed and I was so tired. The same cannot be said for Mr Fitness who decided he wasn’t done for the day and went out for a training run while I had a little afternoon snooze.

The evening was spent having a look around the little town, devouring some huge home made veal meatballs, stuffed with quails eggs in mushroom sauce (these were nice!), and then having an early night as the next day was going to be a BIG day!!

Day 3 – San Bartolome de Tirijana (Tunte) to Cruz de Tejeda

This was always going to be a tough day, this and the final one, for different reasons. This day just goes up, up and up…………relentlessly, for 19km, non-stop with 1,025 metres of ascent to the highest point on the walk, Cruz de Tejeda, passing around the Rocque Nublo, the highest point on the island.

However, this has to be one of the most spectacular days of walking ever, But I have to admit, I think I would have been out of my depth on my own on this particular day. There was significant low lying cloud which I would not have been comfortable in without the assurance of someone who knows what they are doing giving me that confidence that I’ve chosen the correct direction.

It is also extremely exposed and probably not for the vertigo sufferers. I did have to check myself a couple of times and tell myself I was ok and doing just fine!

The views as you ascend are just spectacular and there are all sorts of unusual flower and fauna up on the ridge. As per usual Mr Fitness was skedaddling off, metres in front, while I was dawdling in my own little world taking pictures. This did give me the opportunity for some pretty amazing photographs though which illustrate the size and vastness of the mountain.

There were trig points, sheer drops, the hugest pine cones ever, and numerous stops to don waterproofs and then take them off again. We had all the seasons in one day.

The hardest task was deciding where to stop for the picnic. The the sky turned blue, the sun came out and we were rewarded for our efforts with the most spectacular lunchtime view of the Tejeda valley with Rocque Nublo in the distance.

The island is truly spectacular when you get away from the resorts of the coast. My parents have been coming here twice a year for the last 20 years and now they are aging I keep in regular contact with them when I’m away. Daily photographs were sent and responded to with disbelief, neither of them believing it was the same island that they visit as they tend to just stay put, being looked after in their resort now they are both in their 80’s. I must admit, my last visit to the Canaries was 30 years previous on a girls holiday to Tenerife, and it’s a place I’ve never rushed back to, believing it to just be full of resorts, but get away from those and it’s spectacular.

The air just makes you feel free………free from everything, I don’t seem to be wanting people…………..just space………………Georgia O’Keefe

We pressed on and arrived in the little hamlet of Cruz de Tejeda after five and a half hours of walking. There’s not much there only two hotels, the most spectacular view, and probably the island’s best sunset. This is where I got into a little bit of trouble, in a nice sort of way, and I definitely got a little eye roll if you know what I mean. I think Mr Fitness thought we were pressing on to the little village of Tejeda……………………you see he has no idea where we are staying each night, he just leaves that detail to me.

So he looked a little bewildered when I started walking up the drive to the Parador Cruz de Tejeda, a castle like building belonging to the Spanish group of Parador hotels. A Parador is a Spanish luxury hotel and it’s normally in an historic building or has a scenic view. I think he thought that we were popping in a drink only for me to shout to him to hurry up because this is where the two day spa break was happening and I did not want to be late for my 4pm massage I’d booked. I think his first thought was his wallet 🤣 and then he looked all horrified thinking I’d booked him a massage too. Anyway, he soon perked up when I told him I’d sorted the bill from my ‘secret’ fund and not booked him a massage. He has this thing about being touched by a stranger……………unless it’s a physio of course……..that’s allowed! 😁

I just could not resist the bargain of a two day winter spa break offer that they had on, and I thought that if I’d dragged myself all the way up to 1836 metres, with my rucksack on my back, continually responding to questions on my performance data (or lack of it), I’d deserved it.

Well what can I say, if you walk through Gran Canaria you just have to stay here, even if it’s just for one night. The hotel, the rooms, the views, the spa, are all just amazing. So after a thorough inspection of my bedroom, a little tipple on the balcony overlooking the mountains and the most luxurious shower ever, off I trotted for my massage, agreeing to reconvene in the spa pools one hour later. The massage was fantastic and soothed some of the muscles in my legs that were really starting to ache.

The spa is pretty spectacular too. It has the most gorgeous outdoor infinity pool overlooking the mountains, a hot tub, Turkish hammam, Swedish sauna, various fancy hot and cold showers and an indoor pool and jacuzzi with all sorts of jets and buttons to press. When you’ve had enough of the pool there are heated hammock beds tucked away in a dark little room with piped soothing music and camomile tea. It was gorgeous and I knew I was going to be perfectly happy on my rest day the following day. 😁 Oh…………..and the bed was sooooooo comfy, I slept like a baby.

Rest Day – Tejeda

This was the rest day that wasn’t really a rest day because after breakfast Mr Fitness declared that it would be a shame to come all this way and not visit the very pretty village Tejeda down the hillside. I reluctantly agreed as long as we could go down and up on the bus. Anyway, to cut a long story short I missed the bus so agreed to walk down and bus back.

It was a nice, if not a bit steep, 2 mile walk down to the village but he was right, it is very pretty and you should visit. There is a lovely mirador view point, some nice coffee shops, a pretty church square, some lovely old doorways………………………..

………………..and loads of Bougainvillea, which I love.

There was also an opportunity to have my photograph with my wings outspread, confirming what we already knew, I am 100% angel, apart from the halo which I substitute with a pink bucket hat.🤣

And guess what, I spent that much time walking around and window shopping, that there was no bus back either so I had to walk 2 miles, up a very steep hill, after which a very large Aperol Spritz was required on the patio as part of my rest day recovery.

This evening’s pool spa session I’d booked for 6pm as I wanted to watch the sun set from the pool …………. and goodness, it did not disappoint. It was spectacular! One of those wow moments that you will remember for a long time.

I retired happily to my bed thinking what a shame it was I was leaving the following morning to walk the last two days when I could have stayed there a little bit longer by re-mortgaging the house. 😂 No, I joke, with the spa offer I would say although it was expensive it was good value for money and worth it for a treat………..you work hard for it and can’t take it with you! And after operating as what Mr Fitness calls ‘his amazing and indispensable one-man support crew’ for 48 hours in Mont Blanc 2 months previous to this even he agreed this was a well deserved treat……………………and believe me, he can split a penny in half! 😆

Day 4 – Cruz de Tejeda to Artenara

This was quite a short day, just 7.5 km and 549 metres of ascent. This was because the real end to Stage 4 is in a campsite in the middle of the woods, which after two days at the Parador I wasn’t doing! So I decided we’d just walk to the last town on the route, Artenara, stay there, and then walk a Stage and a half the following day to the coast and the end of the walk.

This also meant no early set off so I got to enjoy my big breakfast at the Parador before we left at around 10:30am.

I immediately thought all my Christmas’s had come at once when parked outside the hotel was a fully saddled donkey! I was so tempted to track down the owner and see if it was available for rides to Artenara with a 10kg rucksack and fully grown adult. But I reluctantly told myself that the aim was to walk and I trudged off on my way after a bit of a donkey cuddle.

The walk to Artenara is lovely. After a very steep half a kilometre uphill it flattens out and is just undulating, along a ridge line all the way to Artenara. There are spectacular views over the whole Tejeda ravine and mountain range of Gran Canaria. Then you drop down into forested areas with the tallest pine trees, with shafts of sunlight shining through the tree canopy.

I took another walk yesterday and it was the most wonderful of all …………when I find myself again lonely and quiet in a lonely quiet country, it moves me deeply………….Simone de Beauvoir

There is also a really interesting group of seven caves half way along the route. It’s quite rocky but perfectly safe to have a clamber around and look in them.

Route finding can be a bit of guesswork as there are various options you can take because I think there is some sort of competition taking place in Gran Canaria to see which town council can attach the greatest number of directional arrows to one post. 😂 Some can have up to 5 arrows all with the same place on, all pointing different directions, like the one below.

So I was a little bit relieved when in the distance I spotted the little white town of Artenara. This is a really interesting little town in the very depths of the mountains and is not frequented that much by visitors. It’s very well looked after , really clean and has some quite interesting sculpture to look around…………..some modern, some just fun and some more poignant.

As you enter the town from the mountains there are some huge modern pieces in rusted iron, one which is supposed to resemble a lighthouse and the other a boat. There are also a number of sculptures reminding you which town you are in just in case you’ve forgotten!

We checked into the accommodation, threw off our rucksacks and went for a wander. A large number of houses in Artenara are cave houses which were dug into the side of the mountain many years ago and are still inhabited now. There’s also a little chapel in a cave, the ‘Ermita de la Virgen de la Cuevita’. The chapel dates from the 18th century and contains the locally revered statue of the Virgen de la Cuevita. Its definitely a worth a little look. There is an altar, a font and even a pulpit from which I was delivered a sermon by the ‘commander in chief’ of the walk.

Then I found Jesus! You can’t really miss him, he’s the hugest statue at the highest point of town.

I like to learn new stuff and probably the nicest statue in the whole of the town is on the Mirador de Unamuno. Here there is a lovely place to sit, above and below the clouds (Artenara is the highest town on the Island). On it is a really atmospheric statue of a man gazing longingly outwards, clutching his hat, looking like he’s searching for something long lost. There is just a plaque with his name on it, Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo. “Who is that?” I thought, so I gave him a little search on the internet. Anyway, he’s a man who Artenara hold quite dear as he spent a period in exile from Spain here. He was a essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, and latterly a professor at the University of Salamanca. He was Basque, born in Bilbao and was exiled from Spain a couple of times. He switched his allegiance more than once in his life, during World War I and later during the Spanish Civil War, ultimately turning against Franco who held him under house arrest until his death in 1936. An interesting story of an interesting man.

It wasn’t until the evening that I realised why Artenara would be an excellent place to hide out in exile. Being the highest town on the island and having house interiors that are hewn into the rock it is so cold and damp. No one would come here looking for you! I’d found one of only two places to stay. It was a little house in town and it was cute and it was clean but goodness when that sun went down it was freezing cold right through to your bones, and I had not really prepared for that. Extra clothes and bedding were piled on and there was nothing much to do except sleep deeply in the little cocoon I had made for myself.

Day 5 – Final Walking Day – Artenara to Puerto de las Nieves

With 23 kilometres and 1270 metres of descent, for me this was by far and away the hardest day. For a start it was a sunrise set off as I know it would be a long day and nights were drawing in early. In addition it is all downhill…………all the way from the highest town on the island to sea level. I find downhill so much harder than uphill.

So I have to admit I set off a little bit grumpy! It was cold, dark, damp and I was looking forward to reaching the end. A sharp left turn after the mountain rescue station and I was a little dissapointed to see there was lots more uphill, over the summit of Mount Tamabada before the downhill started.

The sun came out, the air heated up and the walk started to get better. I did not take too many photos today as I spent a lot of time concentrating. The downhills are really steep as you descent the mountain and there are some really high ledges and drop offs so I was more than happy to see the coastline open up in front of me about 4 hours into the walk. What I did not realise was that although it looked close, it was going to take me another 4 hours to get there! 🥵

By the time we got to Puerto de las Nieves and the end I had well and truly had enough of the day. This final stage and a half, with so much descent and not one coffee stop along the way had definitely got the better of me.

However, arriving in Puerto de las Nieves was such a nice surprise. It was nothing like the resorts of the south coast. It was a traditional little fishing town. The sun was shining, the beach was full at it was a national holiday, and the smell of seafood was drifting out from the nearby restaurants which lined the pretty little port.

I was so hungry and I just wanted a plate of fresh fried seafood and a beer…………nothing fancy, just that. So that’s what I had and it was gorgeous.

Just time for a quick supermarket visit and a check in at the apartment as this had been a long day. This apartment was a little gem. A recently renovated one bedroom townhouse in the small town of Agaete, 15 minutes walk from the port. It was really clean, well presented and so well equipped. It was lovely to put our clothes through a proper wash cycle with detergent and put some clean, fresh clothes on. The icing on the cake was the rooftop patio complete with sun loungers which faced west so the day was finished with a toast to a successful GR131 mission, with a beer, while watching the sun set behind the mountains. We were here for two nights and the following day was a rest day and our last full day on the island so I was looking forward to a relax and a little explore around the small town of Agaete.

The Finale

The last day was a lovely rest day in the beautiful little town of Agaete. It was a little cloudy, but warm. The town has a pretty town hall, a nice little tree lined square with a church in it, narrow whitewashed streets that you can get lost in and the all important bakery for that carrot cake and coffee stop.

It was in Agaete where I also discovered ‘the natural pools ‘Las Salinas de Agaete’. They are a little walk out of town, down above the harbour. They are three naturally formed volcanic pools, interconnected by underwater tunnels. They are ideal to swim in as they are protected from the rough sea by really thick volcanic walls, but you get the most spectacular sight of the waves crashing and breaking over the sides and spilling over into the pools. The water was a little ‘fresh’ but I could not resist a dip and once I’d got myself submerged and taken a couple of deep slow breaths I soon became acclimatised and had a good swim around.

It was a lovely little day. I declined Mr Fitness’s offer of a 10 mile training run and had a lovely me myself and I evening with a cup of tea, my book and the most gorgeous sunset. A perfect end to a lovely week.

I’ve been back for over two weeks now and I’m already missing the winter sunshine of mainland and southern Europe. It can be positively grim in Yorkshire at this time of year. Foggy, cloudy, wet, damp with not a lot of daylight…………..but still beautiful of course because it’s Yorkshire! And tonight it’s snowing and it’s not even the end of November! 🥶I’m frozen………..I don’t do cold.

But you just wear the right clothing and keep busy. And you know what that means don’t you……………..yes, one of the advantages of Autumn is that my woolly hat collection can come out. This weekend I’ve been for a lovely autumnal walk with my friend of over 50 years (we were born 1 day apart and were brought up on the same street)………one of those ‘friends for life’. My first woolly hat outing of this season.

Being Joanne and Suzanne we spent hours when we were younger singing into our hairbrushes pretending to be Joanne and Susanne from the Human League, that was before the age of gaming and social media when we used to do proper things like singing, role play, bike riding and playing out in the woods and fields to entertain ourselves. However, we never quite managed to persuade Jonathan or Robin (our sidekicks) to be our Phil Oakley!🤣 We were like the Famous 5 (minus 1). We have laughed so much at this photo this weekend. Why on earth did my Mum put a ribbon in my hair to play in the woods and climb trees? How on earth did Suzanne climb in open toe sandals?😂 Those were the days………..when crimplene flairs were in fashion and it was cool to wear your wellington boots with shorts! We were obviously on a mission on this day! 🤣🤣

Then I filled 10 garden compactor sacks of leaves and planted some bulbs, baked my Christmas cake which looks pretty spectacular, and went orienteering.

Saturday was the Padfield Plum Fair Fell race where I ran my little socks off and Lois, Helen and I won the ladies team trophy for Penistone and I claimed first place V50 lady. It’s a little tough one on the fells……….. 5.5 miles of up, up and more up, round the grouse shooting cabin, up to the Cock Hill trig point and then all the way back again. It’s a bit of a mud fest which used to be finished off with a 100 metre sprint carrying a 25kg bag of coal up the neighbouring hill. Fortunately for me, that little addition no longer happens as I’m not sure I’d have been up to that following the run. 😂

I sort of welcome my little winter hibernation though………………..I read more and find much more time to do my creative things. No adventuring abroad planned until February. I’ve just taken delivery of some gorgeous fabric to make some new bedroom curtains and I’ve booked myself on a linocut print making workshop which I’m very excited about! I first learnt about linocut when I went to the Picasso museum in Barcelona. Picasso, Matisse and Hockney all produced a number of linocuts. It’s something I’ve not had a go at before so I’m looking forward to learning a new art skill and getting messy!

So that’s it for now. Almost my favourite time of year…………………..until then, in between working, I’ll just keep wandering, exploring, making, doing, learning, living and getting up to as much mischief as I possibly can…………………………although I’m not doing too well at the latter…………….it’s been over two months since I’ve had to call home to be rescued…………….I must try harder. 🤣

How on earth did I end up up back here!? But I did and I survived……………just!

That was the question I asked myself so many times last week. After last year’s episode of scrambling up the side of Eel Crag and coming next to last I swore to myself that I would not get roped into the British Championships this year!

And we all know I’ve had a few map reading and other running incidents this year! 😂

The request was made for team members for a V40 ladies team. My strategy, with my 53 years of wisdom and experience, was to go into hiding and keep quiet………………..very quiet. 😆 We have lots of good 40 something year old runners in the club – certainly enough for me to dodge this one.

All was going to plan, teams were selected and I was rubbing my hands together with glee to not make the list and my silence go un-noticed! I would just surprise them on the day with cakes and support.

Then one by one people start getting better offers, getting injured, or probably just realise what they’ve let themselves in for and start dropping out. And that’s when I see the dreaded message on the club social media page………………”Why is your name not on the list Joanne? You’d be fantastic.”

Now which excuse do you want, I have numerous……….I’m 10 years older than the rest of the team…………I might be tough and resilient but I’m not overly fast …………….. I get hopelessy lost and this race involves maps ……………….I’m waiting for surgery…………….which excuse do you want? I could have sworn that I had sufficient excuse to get out of this one, but NO………………….apparently “You’ll be fine on the last leg…..Leg 4……on your own as it’s a flagged leg so you can’t get lost!” (Believe me when I say I can get lost on a flagged leg!) So here I was again, in the position I did not want to be in.

I got my map given a couple of weeks before and went for a little recce with a couple of friends. Five and a half miles does not seem too bad. Then I saw the altitude climb ……just short of 1,700ft…………then I have a closer look at the route and spot the appropriately named ‘Hell Hole’, ‘Trollers Gill’ and a bright orange bad weather route in case of bad visibility. This is going to be fun!

Then I have one of those weeks at work, which I could have just done without, two days prior to race day………an OFSTED inspection! But actually it just gave me something else to worry about and take my mind off the race. As is so happens the inspection went really well, so by Thursday OFSTED have left the building and I’m back to getting anxious about Saturday’s race. Then the race day timetable comes out………………Leg 4 is not running until 3:30pm! That’s all day on Saturday to get worked up into a frenzy. Not only that but Prize Giving is at 4pm!!! I won’t be back then………….I’ll still be running my 5.2 miles of uphill, I might not even be back for field gate being locked at 5pm by the farmer! 😂

So Friday evening was spent baking cakes to take my mind off it because cake is the answer to all lifes worries and always goes down well at a race. Then I remember that two of the team are vegan. I’m not vegan but am very accepting of anyone that is but I failed to see how a proper cake can be vegan so I had huge reservations as to how this little Friday night experiment would turn out. Anyway, one tin of vegan brownies and a courgette and lemon loaf later I was quite pleased with my little effort. I can honestly say that it just tasted like normal cake and I shall stand corrected and no longer make fun of vegan cake.😆 The cakes got top marks from the team.

Friday night was a sleepless one with lots of dreaming which involved me running down a deserted field in the dark with a farmer shouting at me and waving a stick because he was waiting to lock the gate. Seriously…………this is what happens when I get anxious. It’s awful.

Race day arrived with a very pleasant drive to the gorgeous little Yorkshire village of Appletreewick. It’s around 2 hours from home in Upper Wharfedale and is Yorkshire at its finest. The village has a lovely little campsite by the river and holds lots of happy memories because this is where the family tent was christened when the boys were around 6 and 4 years old. The day started a bit grim, but then the blue sky and sunshine came and the visibility was good!

Team chairman Steve was on hand at lunchtime to give me a little pep talk and reassurance. “You know why you are stressing don’t you?” he said. “Yes, because I’m not at this level I said.” This was all because I saw Jasmin Paris casually walking across the road. If you don’t know who Jasmin Paris is then I’ll tell you. She is the only woman to ever finish the Barkley Marathons in Tennessee which she did in March of this year. She is in another league to me completely and an absolutely astounding fell runner, quite possible the best of all time. She would not get lost in a wood 2 miles from home and have to call for help! If she’s running I’m going to look like a tortoise! 😂

“No, it’s not that” he said, “You are anxious because it matters! It all matters to you, the race, the team, everything. Just go do your thing and as soon as you set off you’ll be fine.” And the thing is I knew he was right. I get so much more nervous when I’m running as part of a team, it’s just the thought of letting the team down. If you enter a race on your own there’s not as much pressure, you can only let yourself down. But in a race against the country’s best as part of a six woman team, there’s a lot more at stake.

The start came. I was sufficienty fuelled………….cheeseburger and cake ………………. the food of champions!😂……….And off I went. Well, not so fast as the start was up the biggest hill imagineable! My legs were like jelly at the top and we were only 300 metres into the race.

What followed was five and a half miles of the biggest, muddiest, steepest, ups and downs imagineable. Now, it’s meant to be difficult, it’s to decide Britain’s finest, toughest fell runners. I kept having a quick glance behind me over the fields to see lots more runners. I’m doing ok I thought……..just keep going……..don’t give up…….just one foot in front of the other.

After five minutes of crawling my way up Trollers Gill on all fours I spotted the checkpoint, dibbed my dibber and carried on. By this time I was covered in mud, had inadvertently placed my hand on some thistles and stunk of sheep excrement.

Just as I was trying to run down the other side of the almost vertical Trollers Gill I could see opposite me, the side of the crag to Hell Hole looming above, with a line of fell runners crawling along like ants clawing their way up the side. I downed some electrolyte and chewed a couple of gels to give me a little boost. The climb up to Hell Hole was horrific, it was all fours up the side and then a crawl under a barbed wire fence at the top.

From that point the last two miles were not as lung busting. It was undulating, it was knee high boggy, but some sections were runnable. I finished in 1 hour and 19 with a little sprint at the end and 11 minutes ahead of my expected time, 40 minutes before the final runner and more importantly, well before darkness and the locking of the field by the farmer (who didn’t have a stick and looked quite friendly).😆 Penistone can be proud to have the 12th fastest V40 ladies fell running team in the country……………….yes, we weren’t next to last this year! I was too sick for cake at the end………..I did not know whether to cry with relief, cry with pain or vomit.

However, I did feel incredibly proud to be part of a team of such outstanding ladies and runners. We all work, we all have families and we are all trying to juggle everything life throws at us. We did amazingly well and I feel so lucky to even be able to run, never mind be on the startline of something like this. But this year will be my last……………unless we can rustle a V50 team together! I hurt so much all over my body today……………….. the V40 team will have to find someone under 50 as I’m now too creaky to pretend to be 40 …………… I’ll just donate the cakes from now on!

Here I am with some very quick weekend words of wisdom for you because this weekend I’ve been thinking! I have lots of words of wisdom……………..appropriate words for every circumstance. But these are this weekend’s words of wisdom which have led to me having a lovely weekend instead of the pretty uneventful one I had got planned! This weekend’s words of wisdom are from Mark Twain (real name Samuel Langhorne Clemens), American writer, and author of works such as Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He said:

“Twenty years from now you will be more dissapointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails.”

Now I’m quite good at this, I’m a bit of a doer. But this weekend I was going to be a good girl on Saturday and do all my housework, clean my bathrooms, wash my new wheels (I’ll tell you about those in a minute), do my garden, attack my huge ironing pile and just generally do all those things I don’t have time for in the week. I work all week. I leave early in the morning, arrive home after five, and by the time I’ve cooked a meal, sorted everyone else, done something for myself (usually a run, yoga or my language class), it’s time to go to bed and read my book. So inevitably at the weekend I have some jobs to do, because I refuse to have a cleaner or a gardener as I can do it myself and I would feel really lazy if I didn’t.

However this weekend was a bit different………………………………………I’m home alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My ultra running other half has disappeared on a 10 day training block to the Canary Islands to keep going up and down a mountain for 10 whole days in the hot weather…………………WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO DO THAT?😆 One child has moved down near London to work from the beginning of September, and the other, whilst back at home, was going to stay with friends.

Lots of people I know would absolutely hate being on their own. I meanwhile am absolutely fine with it! In fact I’m more than just fine. They say true happiness comes from within and you can’t be truly happy relying on other people to provide your happiness, you have to be happy with ‘you’ first. And I’m a great believer in that. I don’t know whether it helps being a bit of an introvert, or whether it’s because I’m an only child but I am perfectly happy in my own company……………..I like being with me, I’m really nice to be around! 😁 I can’t understand anyone who says they are bored on their own…………………I can think of a million and one things to do with my time. I can garden, I can sew, I can go for a walk, I can sing, I can draw, I can read, I can cook, I can bake……………………….how can anyone be bored!

So a weekend on my own sounded like my idea of heaven. You see the thing is there’s always something ‘going down’ in our house. Someone always has something they need me for and it’s often quite frantic. People rushing around, needing feeding at different times, training schedules to work around, it’s like a military operation. And I do find myself at the helm of the ship holding it all together a lot.

And it all seems to happen at once. Take for instance the other week. I was crewing for my other half and happened to be in the middle of a car park in Switzerland at 1:20am in the morning (my second night without sleep), unable to get on a crew bus to the next place I needed to be as they were all full. I’d used my initiative and managed to hitch a lift with a French lady who I flagged down once I’d convinced her I was on my own and quite safe. No sooner had I sorted that issue, I got a message from my youngest son at home having a meltdown over something and nothing which I managed to put into perspective for him. Fast forward another half an hour and I had a call that really threw me off balance from my eldest who was in South America and unfortunately had had his drink tampered with in a club and had been drugged and robbed and had just woken up 18 hours later and unfortunately three hours after his return flight!! He looked really unwell and was frighteningly incoherent, he knew I was talking to him but he was just staring blankly at at me with wild eyes and not able to have a conversation as he had no chain of thought. He was clearly not well but had managed to coordinate himself just enough to dial my number.

So there I am in Switzerland in the middle of the night……………….rushing to feed and stick together a husband who needs me in approximatley 30 minutes time. Having to put my smiley face on, cheer and pretend everything is fantastic as there was no way I was telling him the dilemma and ruining his chance of completing the one race that he’s wanted to do all his running life. Whilst at the same time I’m trying to get in touch with the British Embassy and Air France to work out how I’m going to get one quite unwell son back on the next possible flight, or at least into a place of safety. Fast forward 12 hours later ………….. I’ve one very happy other half who has just completed the run of his life, one son put on a flight hurtling towards Brazil to get a connecting flight to Heathrow, and I meanwhile have just fallen apart. Because somehow, when you need to hold it together you just do, you just get on with it, but there is only so much anyone can deal with at once and I thought I was fine, until it was all over and sorted, when I had a little tearful meltdown for a few hours! The running superhereo was extremely cross with me for holding it all in and keeping it together but I would never have forgiven myself if I’d have needed to tell him, or anyone else for that matter, as there is no way he would have finished with the weight of that worry on his shoulder, I know he would have pulled straight out of the race. And I really did not want to worry anyone else with it either. But it’s all ok………….everyone is now back in one piece and I got a Llama keyring for my car keys to say thanks for my assistance and to make up for the 10 years I think I aged in 12 hours!😂 I’m sure anyone looking in from the outside would think I was so cool, calm and collected, because I’m quite private and don’t share all the detail, but honestly, come and live with my three for a week and you’ll realise I’m a bit like a swan, I’m paddling like mad underneath the surface. 😂

So I don’t feel at all bad for thinking yipppeeee……………….I’m on my own for the weekend, because to be quite honest with you they can all be a bit of a pain in the butt at times! 😂 If I had to sum up this weekend in one word it would be CALM. Thank goodness, a few days without all of them sapping my energy and upsetting my balance.

One glance at the weather forecast after a bit of yoga showed a lovely sunny day for Saturday and a not so great day on Sunday. So that got me thinking about my little words of wisdom from Mark Twain. It’s sunny, the birds are singing, I’m on my own and what do I have planned………………………bathroom cleaning! Errrrrr I don’t think so Dora!!!!!!!!!!! Cleaning bathrooms on a sunny day is definitely one of those things that I’ll look back and regret………..I’ll regret not going on a little adventure instead, as jobs can wait until rainy Sunday. Oh, wait a minute………….I’m not supposed to be going off on my own with a map. But no-one is here to check up on me………….they’ll never know I’ve been on an adventure!! 😉

So I threw off my bowline, sailed away from the safe harbour, caught the trade wind and disappeared off with my map in search of all my favourite things. I went to Lathkill Dale, one of my favourite dales in the Peak District. And I found all the things that I love: a pre walk bacon sandwich, cows, pretty flowers, babbling streams, the elusive Dipper bobbing about on the water, chocolate brownies and beer. How can one possibly be bored in a National Nature Reserve!

I did have a slight panic when I saw an incoming Messenger video call to check I was ok from Mr Fitness himself. My background looked nothing like a bathroom and I did have a map in my hand, so I called back later!😂

So your words of wisdom for this weekend are from Mark Twain who said don’t clean your bathrooms on a sunny Saturday……………..you’ll regret it 20 years later when you could have been plodding though the countryside eating brownies and drinking beer instead!

I have cleaned my bathrooms today and washed my new wheels…………………….I have a new car……………..Calvin…………Calvin the Corsa! He’s not brand new but he’s new to me. He’s had one careful lady owner, is bright red and is 10 months old. My Mini was nearly 10 years old and appears to have been claimed by one of my children.

I hate looking for cars and I’m not really into cars. Calvin was found by me just putting some filters in the Vauxhall/Opel used car app, getting it down to two, going to look at the closest one and saying I’ll have it. He was on my drive the following Wednesday! Everyone at home seemed to think I should look around various garages, test drive various cars and waste my valuable time looking at cars………………..no way……….I have far more interesting and worthwhile things to do! If it has four wheels and gets me from A to B I’ll have it. Although I admit I really had little idea as to what I’d bought 🤣………the guy at the garage kept telling me it was ‘top spec’ but I thought “he will say that, he’s trying to sell me a car!”.

Anyway my little adventure yesterday gave me chance to have a really good look at Calvin and play with all his knobs and I think I might be in love. When I open his door in a morning he flashes up ‘Good Morning!’ When I go back to him in the afternoon he says ‘Good Afternoon!’……………..so he’s already excelling over and above the three men in my life who just grunt! But wait for this…………………he massages my butt for up to one hour at the touch of a button!😍 I might get 5 minutes at home if I ask nicely and the wind is blowing in the right direction!😂 He also has a heated steering wheel, lots of cameras and beeping sounds, SatNav and plays whatever I ask him to off my Spotify playlist. So the top and bottom of it is, with the advances in automobile and modern technology, I’m seriously questioning the need to have any other man in my life…..Calvin does it all and he’s so much easier to look after!

No, seriously though, the novelty of being on my own will wear off! I won’t get bored but I do strangely miss the comings and goings, family, laughter and eventfulness of a busy household but every now and again it’s so good to have a calm weekend in your own company, going wherever the wind takes you………just me, myself and I!

Well that’s it, another summer over!

It seems so long ago. I’m now well and truly back into the new year at work. But that hasn’t stopped me having a few running mishaps and getting into trouble!!🤭 It’s been a week of two halves on the running front really. First of all, a victory ………. the ‘Veteran 50 Lady’ bottle of wine in a local fell race! You see this was ok, because it was marshalled, and someone was stood in a fluorescent vest pointing the way. Then there was the call up to represent the Club in the British Fell running championships V40 ladies team (which involves a map), after saying “never again” following last year’s outing when I came an astounding second to last. So I have until 19th October to get my map reading and my act together and if there is no further post on here by Christmas you’ll know I got lost because I’m on a solo leg which is never a good thing. 😂This did however result in a lovely Yorkshire adventure on the hills all day yesterday with two friends and one dog from the team getting to know the area we are competing in. You can’t beat a glorious Yorkshire day on the hills with girlfiends! It was a fab day that involved a bit of mud, giggles, good times, getting lost, sausage rolls and sweets.😍

However, I proceeded my victory and team call up with a complete and utter orienteering fail a week earlier!!!! And one very annoyed husband! You see the thing is this involves me reading a map and finding checkpoints. No-one had time to come with me, so I thought, “not to worry I’ll go on my own”. But despite having attended a navigation course last year …………………. I was hopeless at reading a map before the course and unfortunately I am still pretty hopeless now!!!😂 Consequently, I have now been told I am not allowed out running on my own again when a map is involved, because it’s not safe apparently! I manged to get myself hopelessly lost in a wood, convinced myself I was on the correct path, and carried on despite cutting my legs pretty badly on brambles……………..because I don’t stop until I’ve found the checkpoint!😆 You have to give me 10 out of 10 for resilience if not for map reading!

I ended up miles away from the car, blood running down my legs, in the dark and had to call home for help and someone to come and find me and rescue me, which they did eventually, despite being a little annoyed. But I reminded them all at home how dull their lives would be without the continued adventures and mishaps of Dora the Explorer and her compass in it. They did not look convinced!😂

Anyway, I’m going to tell you about a little summer trip. I’ve been here, there and everywhere. I went to Spain walking and to visit the two Basque cities of San Sebastian and Bilbao. I went to do some running crewing over a long weekend that involved 48 hours without sleep and took in Mont Blanc and the countries of France, Italy and Switzerland. But the place I want to share with you is Crete, which I visited for a relaxing holiday at the end of July. I was so ready for this holiday! All I wanted to do was sleep, eat, read and do my puzzle book. Rather surprisingly I did achieve this for the first half of a week, but by Wednesday I had itchy feet and wanted to explore so I did alternate days. One day adventure followed by one day rest by the pool, until my two weeks were up.

The thing that I like about Greece and its islands is that you can completely wind down there. If you want to go out to eat in your shorts and T-shirt looking like you’ve just been dragged through a hedge backwards you can! It just seems light years away from the rest of Europe. People leave their cars and houses unlocked, in some places traffic is not permitted, you are still likely to see people using donkeys as their mode of transport. You can completely shut yourself off from the world and relax……………so I did. It was heaven.

I’m going to give you a whirlwind tour of the west of the island, I say the west of the island because Crete is huge. It has 3 airports. One which serves the east of the island, one the central area and Chania airport which serves the west. I flew to Chania as I wanted to explore the west of the island which is better known for its dramatic mountains, deep gorges and stunningly beautiful walking. It also has some pretty amazing beaches too.

If you want to explore this side of the island you need a car, so I picked mine up on arrival at the airport. Car hire is cheap, but don’t expect a Rolls Royce in Greece. The car will be road worthy (just), the driving is atrocious and not for the faint hearted, but just take your time and you’ll be fine! My car had four wheels, but that was about its only resemblance to a modern car. It was a Nissan Micra…………but not just any old Micra. It had 80k on the clock, more bumps and scratches than a toddler, a dodgy battery, questionable aircon……………….but it had four wheels and it worked!

The first task was to find the villa. I had chosen to stay in Stalos, but there was a compromise here. I don’t do holiday resorts for my relaxing holiday because I don’t want lots of people and noise………………I’m retreating. But we were travelling as a family with a 21 year old who does like holiday resorts and hates quiet! And the thing is it was up to me to entertain him as his Dad, being only 5 weeks away from the Ultra run of his life, had a full training schedule to follow. So it was two weeks of mainly myself and mini me. But I was not complaining as I just love his company and he makes me laugh so so much! 😂 And I think that works both ways………….although I’m sure he would decribe me as more ’embarassing’ than funny. 😆 I just love the fact that at 21 years old he still wants to spend 2 weeks on holiday with me as entertainment.

The nice thing about Stalos is that it is easily accessible and is a good base for exploring the whole of the west of Crete, but Stalos itself has two parts. There is Kato Stalos which is a beach resort full of bars, restaurants, discos, bikinis and speedos. Then there is Pano Stalos which is the old original village of Stalos around 1.5 miles inland in the green foothills of the mountains. The deal was (because I book the holidays) that the villa would be in Pano Stalos! But near enough for the youngest member of the party to get to the resort and beach easily.

Stalos has lots of ancient medieval history. Original records show its name as Talos and according to Minoan myth it was named after the legendary Talo, the giant king who protected the island of Crete by circling it three times a day. It then became know as Stalos from around 1629.

Pano Stalos (the old village) is so peaceful. There are amazing views of the sea, mountains and olive groves. There are no high rise buildings, just local houses, villas and a few apartments. There are a couple of tavernas aimed at locals rather than holiday makers but they are so eager to welcome you. Other than the tavernas and a church there is nothing ………………………. no supermarket or other amenities. It was bliss ………… just the sound of crickets, which in July in Crete is deafening. How can something so small make so much noise?!?!?

The villa was beautiful. It was owned by a lovely, welcoming, Cretan family who also owned the local taverna. It was in a really quiet area of the old village. It had two large bedrooms, both with a balcony overlooking a beautiful view, two bathrooms, a really well equipped kitchen, a swimming pool and then the most amazing shaded veranda. The veranda was probably my favourite place. It was situated underneath a large lime tree and was shady all day. There was a large table, comfy benches and cushions. I spent hours reading under the lime tree.

It was also the perfect place for breakfast, lunch and watching the sun set. So I spent an awful lot of time on the veranda. I did spend a lot of time in the pool too, but not too much time just laying by the pool as it was just too hot. It hovered between 38 and 42 degrees for the whole of the two weeks which is just too hot for me. If you don’t like it this hot, May or September time would be a much more comfortable time to visit the island.

What else do I think of when I think of Crete?…………………….Goats and cats! You have to like them both as they are everywhere. There can be goats roaming on the beach, like at Balos beach, where you turn your back and they’ve pinched your food. And every villa comes with resident cat! Ours was a lovely, cute, little female cat who took a bit of a shine to me, and waited by my sunbed every morning before moving onto the wall to sleep and laze in the sunshine.

There are so many places to visit in western Crete but here are the highlights of my stay which aren’t to be missed.

The main city in western Crete is Chania. It is a definite place to visit if you like a pretty port and some history. The harbour of the old town is Venetian in style and is so colourful and photogenic. Just behind the pretty harbour is the old town. This is filled with bougainvillea lined narrow streets, shops, and stalls selling local handicrafts. The side streets are filled with music and restaurants serving local specialities. I’ll tell you about food separately, because I love Greek food.

The harbour of Chania faces west, so it’s also the perfect spot to watch the sun set, with the fiery sky reflecting on the water and bobbing boats. It is a picture perfect setting.

Crete is also home to one of Europe’s longest and spectacular gorges, the Samaria Gorge. The people of Crete will tell you it’s the longest in Europe, but it’s not. At 16km end to end it is slightly shorter than the Verdon Gorge in France. However, its beauty has to be seen to be believed. No photographs could ever do it justice. It is truly stunning and the good thing is you can walk the full length of it in a day.

You can do this trip using your own transport but logistically it’s a bit difficult. I decided to book it as a self-guided trip from Chania, which was ideal. The tour company provided the transport to the top of the gorge, you walk down at your own pace and you meet again at the bottom of the gorge at 5pm, doing what you want in the interim period. From here the tour company transport you by ferry back to the waiting coach which drives you back to Chania. This worked really well. The hardest bit was trying to persuade a 21 year old whose primary focus is beer and babes that it’s a good idea to get out of bed at 5:15am and walk 16km in the heat on your holiday. 😂 Anyway, I managed to get him all the way from top to bottom of said gorge, with one small sulk, but not too much moaning, bribing him with sweets and the promise of a beer at the bottom. He even said he enjoyed it when it was over!

It is a really early set of from Chania at 5:45am. This is to get you to the top of the gorge for when it opens at 8am. The gorge is the most visited place in Crete and you really want to be one of the first people down to enjoy it at its best otherwise it just becomes too crowded. The gorge ends at the lovely small town of Agia Roumeli. There is no vehicle access to Agia Roumeli, the only way in and out is by ferry. It has a lovely beach and a few tavernas and apartments. I walk at an average pace and take lots of photographs and I exited the gorge at 3pm. This gave me a good 2 hours to have a long cooling swim in the sea and visit a taverna for some lunch and a beer before the meeting point and ferry back to the coach.

The walk is not easy. If you have bad knees you need to hire poles as the first section from the top, into the bottom of the gorge is very steep, uneven and long. Once you get into the bottom of the gorge it is a lot more walkable. There is lots of water in the bottom, unusual flowers and wildlife……………it is the most beautiful place. There is fresh spring water available at various points on the way down the gorge, so it’s not necessary to carry lots of water. Toilet facilities are limited but adequate and are just a hole in the floor. I would say the walk down the gorge is a must do on any itinerary to Crete.

Our next little adventure a few days later took us inland into the mountains, to look at some of Greece’s most famous agricultural exports and how they are produced…………….olives and honey.

Not to far away from Stalos, in the village of Ano Vouves, is the ‘Ancient Olive Tree of Vouves’. It is one of the oldest olive trees in the world and still produces olives today. It was declared a protected national monument in 1997 and although its exact age cannot be determined it is believed to be around 4,000 years old. Branches from the tree have been used to make winners wreaths in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Next to the tree is the Olive Museum, all about the cultivation of olives and olive oil, and a small café. I am glad I made a little detour to visit it, it was a lovely little place.

Not too far away from the ancient olive tree is one of many family honey farms. You will find honey absolutely everywhere in Greece and a lot of their recipes, and almost all their desserts incorporate it. A lot of the honey farms offer a tasting and tour so I followed my visit to the ancient olive tree with a visit to the Stathakis family honey farm. It was really interesting. There are so many different types of honey depending on what flora and fauna the hives are situated next to. I think my favourite was the wild thyme honey and a couple of jars were duly purchased for my Dad who adores honey!

The following day was a relax day so we decided to visit a beach. Crete has some absolutely amazing beaches and it has a beach for every taste. There are large beaches with amenities and sand, pebble beaches, little quiet coves………you cannot fail to find a beach that you like in Crete. We decided to visit Preveli beach on the south of the island. It is a beautiful sheltered beach surrounded by high cliffs. It’s part sand and part pebble. But what makes it beautiful is that it is backed by a really unusual palm forest and the Megalos Potamos river which flows down into the sea here after gushing down from the top of the Kotaliotikos Gorge.

The only easy way to the beach is by boat from elswhere. Otherwise it’s a long hike down the gorge or almost 500 steps down from the parking lot. I decided to go for the steps option from the parking lot and it was worth it as the view of the beach from half way down the steps is beautiful. Once you get to the beach there is a beach bar and some toilets but there aren’t really any other amenities as it is a protected area. It’s good to wade up the river for half an hour though, climbing and scrambling over the rocks at the bottom of the gorge and sitting in the whirlpools made by the swirling water………………….so refreshing on a hot day, like a cold jacuzzi!

If you have driven all that way to Preveli breach it would be a shame not to visit Kotaliotikos Gorge. It has the most amazing waterfalls and wild swimming spots. If you are feeling really energetic you could walk to it from Preveli beach. However, bearing in mind this was my rest day, I parked at the top of the gorge by the small chapel and walked down to the waterfalls and swimming areas. It was so pretty but the water was oh so cold. Both the gorge and the beach are definitely worth a beach day trip.

On the way back from Preveli, if you are staying on the north coast you will go past the city of Rethymnon and this you definitely must see. Just like Chania, Rethymnon has a beautiful harbour. It also boasts one of the best preserved Venetian old towns on the island. It is gorgeous, with it’s maze of little tiny streets weaving one way and then another. It’s impossible not to get lost in there but being on holiday and not having any time constraints it was rather nice to just wander. There are so many tavernas serving wonderful food that I decided not to rush back to Stalos but to stay for dinner. It felt bigger and busier than Chania, and I still think that of the two I preferred Chania, but it’s still one of my holiday highlights.

After a couple of days relaxing by the pool I was ready for another little adventure……………….and this was a lovely day. But it did not go to plan and that was part of the beauty of it. It was one of those days when you end up doing something other than what you planned and it ends up being a fabulous day anyway. I wanted to visit the small fishing port of Loutro and then do a circular gorge walk taking around 5 hours. Loutro is so very pretty. It is only accessible by boat. We drove to Chora Sfakia, from where there is a regular ferry to Loutro which takes around 20 minutes.

Loutro is the most beautiful little place. Boats bobbing in the harbour, the sea so unbelievably blue, rows of tavernas with brightly coloured deckchairs and Coco the parrot to welcome you. I’m never quite sure about African Grey parrots…………there’s one in the garden centre near home and whenever I say hello to it it tells me to ‘F*** Off!’ 😆 However, Coco was far more pleasant. Apparently he bites, but his vocabulary is very good. He says “Hello”, tells you his name and can tell you he’s a pretty boy, all without uttering a single swear word!

I managed to persuade the youngest party member to come with his swimming trunks but he kept reminding me that under no circumstances was he doing any more walking this holiday, he was staying in Loutro on the beach for the day. He’d done one gorge walk and that was his exercise for the month. 😂 Now this is where I made a slight mistake……………..I left him in Loutro with my credit card and told him I’d be back in a few hours and to get himself a drink and some lunch. I now know I need to be more specific about how many and what drinks and food are allowable on my card.

I set off on the most beautiful walk, however the track up to the top of the gorge was so steep and it was now over 40 degrees. As I started to descend into the gorge my feet were slipping on the loose rock, so sensibly, I decided to abandon my walk and turn back. This led me into the little village of Livaniana, which I would otherwise not have come to. I had plenty of water but I saw a taverna on my map. I was so disappointed when I got there as it appeared to be closed. However, on closer inspection I saw it never closes…………………you let yourself in and serve yourself! How good is that!!! I took the latch off the wire door and let myself in, onto the most beautiful vine covered veranda overlooking the blue sea down below. In one corner of the veranda was a plugged in fridge and inside the fridge were soft drinks, water and a selection of beers. At the side was a price list, bottle opener and a tub in which to put your money. This tub must only be emptied periodically as it was early morning and there was at least 50 Euros in there and not a person in sight. I helped myself to a lemon Fanta and put my money in the box.

It’s little things like that this restore my faith in this world. If that taverna had been situated at home in the UK the box would have had to be bolted down and emptied hourly to deter theft. I would doubt the drinks would have been there long either, and if someone had a car boot big enough they’d take the fridge too!!😂

After my little pit stop I them stumbled across Finika beach just around the headland from Loutro. It was just beautiful, my type of beach. A lovely, quiet, secluded little bay . The water was still, like a millpond, and bright turquoise blue. I could not resist getting in for a long swim, drying off on the beach for an hour afterwards reading my book. I thought Loutro was amazing but this was even better because it was quieter.

I walked back into Loutro 3 hours after I had left. In those 3 hours my credit card had purchased one pizza, an ice cream, some snacks, two mojitos and a beer. 😂 Lesson learned………….I will just leave him with a bottle of water and a 10 euro note next time to ward off starvation and dehydration! I never authorised cocktails!! I had very little sympathy when he went a shade of green on the boat on the way back.😂

After another villa pool day we decided to venture to Elafonisi beach on the south west of the island. I had heard this was one of Crete’s best beaches and was famous for its pink sand. It’s a journey of around one and a half hours from Stalos but we broke the journey up at the pretty little Taverna Spiliaraki in the village of Topolia at the top of the Topolia gorge in the mountains. This wins the prize for being my favourite café in Crete. It is basically the veranda of the owners house. Traditional Greek food, cakes and drinks are all it serves, all home made by the lady who lives there. The veranda has the most amazing, colourful, vine covered seating area. It has an outstanding view over the village and the gorge and there are hammocks all around for you to laze in. The traditional Greek iced coffee was delicious.

We eventually made it to Elafonisi beach. There was a bit of moaning from the youngest as the walk from the car to the beach was more than 10 metres but eventually we made it after bribing him with the promise of beer again. This was was definitely my favourite beach on the whole of Crete. It is AMAZING!!!! The water is turquoise blue, the fine sand is pink, there is so much space it never feels overcrowded, you can swim so far out and still touch the bottom. It is truly spectacular. I’m led to believe the sun sets from here are fantastic as it faces directly west, although I left late afternoon. It’s quite remote so if you are looking for a beach with water sports equipment and entertainment you’ll not like it. There are two very small beach bars and a very basic toilet……………that’s it! And that’s what’s nice about it.

The next day was the day that I’d rather forget…………………..because family holidays are all about compromise aren’t they!?! When you are 21 you just want an endless supply of Mythos beer, banging tunes, a beach sun lounger and bikini clad babes!!😂So that’s what I got in the very hip and trendy beach club after losing the coin toss as to who was going to be the unlucky person to accompany him and take up the extortionately priced second sunbed! All joking aside I did have a good day. I spent the day reading my book, the cocktails were good, I did lots of people watching, avoided the topless pool games and if anything good came out of it……………………….it was the fact that I came out of there feeling extremely glad to be 53 and not having to look for a suitable suitor from those available to choose from in there!

The next day was the final adventure of the holiday……………….a trip to Balos Beach on the very north west tip of the island. It’s gorgeous! It is a huge lagoon of crystal clear water. You can get a drink and a snack there but that’s all, so it’s one where you need to take supplies if you are going for the day. My advice however if I ever went again would be to arrive by boat from Kissamos town just around the headland. We drove and the road to the beach is horrendous. It’s a good 5 miles on a dirt track which is only really suitable for 4 x 4’s. How on earth we made it there and back in the Nissan Micra I really have no idea. It rattled and bounced all the way there and back. Then once you get to the parking lot it’s a good one mile walk down an extremely steep and uneven track. If you are not up for a bit of an hair raising adventure then take the boat!

The final thing to share with you about Crete is the food. It will come as no surprise to you that I love Greek food……………because I love all food! The only thing I will say is that I travelled with a vegetarian and the choice for vegetarians is quite limited unless you are in a resort and don’t mind fast food. If you are anywhere more remote or in a traditional taverna you will be limited to the salads and cheese based dishes of which there is not a lot of variety. Vegetarianism has not really found its way to the more remote areas of Greece yet.

So what are my favourite Greek dishes. Number one has to be Souvlaki. This is basically a grilled meat skewer or kebab cooked over a special outdoor grill, a bit like a BBQ but the meat has usually been marinated beforehand and the flavour of oregano is really noticeable. It normally comes as chicken or pork and my favourite is the chicken Souvlaki.

Next up has to be Stifado. This is a tomato based beef and red wine stew with onions. Local herbs and spices and often all-spice or cinnamon are added to give it that extra flavour and warmth. I love Kleftiko too. This is an entire meal baked in a parcel. Its is a leg of lamb baked slowly in parchment paper with potatoes, onions, lemon, herbs and garlic. The potatoes cook in the juices of the lamb, lemon and herbs. This is delicious. You can probably see now why it’s not ideal for vegetarians. A lot of the key Greek dishes are meat based and there is a heavy bias towards red meat.

That being said there are a couple of vegetarian dishes I love. The first is a greek salad……………..simply cucumber, tomato, pepper, red onion olives, feta, oregano and olive oil. Easy to make yourself and simply delicious. Another favourite is Saganaki which is fried cheese, usually graviera, halloumi or some other sheep milk type cheese.

They also eat a lot of snails in Crete which I wasn’t expecting. I’ve always associated snails with French cuisine. I have to admit that I had got to 53 years of age without trying a snail. But they sounded intriguing cooked in wine, garlic, olive oil and rosemary. My little sidekick is very adventurous with his food so we decided we’d try a portion of snails. They were really nice. Although I don’t think they’d be my first choice on a menu, once I’d got my head around it being a snail and worked out how to eat it, I thought it was really quite tasty. It was not the really slimey texture I was expecting, it was more meaty and had the feel of a mushroom in your mouth.

Last but not least ……………… desserts!!! And I love a dessert! But they don’t really have dessert menus in Greece. What they normally do however, is bring a complementary large dessert out to the table to share and a bottle of home made raki. Raki is the national drink of Crete. It is made from twice distilled grape pomace and is flavoured with aniseed or another spice like cinnamon. It is generally around 40% ABV but can be higher if home distilled. It puts hairs on your chest it’s that strong!

Now the other half of the parent duo is very good and well behaved. His body is a temple, and training for an impending major ultra marathon meant that alcohol was completely out of the question. However, my body is not a temple, and I have very little willpower when it comes to dessert and the odd tipple when on holiday, so it just descended into a little nightly raki shot drinking finale between the remaining two of us. However, I have 53 years of shot drinking experience so it normally ended with my little buddy swaying and staggering to his bed, only to resurface very late the following morning to discover I had bounced out of bed gone for a little early run before the sun got two hot. 😂😂 The youth of today just have no staying power.

In terms of dessert you sort of get what you are given but quite often it will be Loukoumades………………..and these are just to die for. Imagine a little deep fried doughnut ball, all crispy on the outside and soft and squidgy in the middle. When they come out of the fryer they are smothered in honey and they soak it all up. When they get to you they are still warm. When you pop one in your mouth you get that crispy crunch of the outside of the doughnut, the softness of the interior and all the honey it has soaked up just oozes out in your mouth. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream there is no better Greek dessert!

So that’s it……………..your very brief guide to the west of Crete and its food. I’m sure it has a lot more to offer too, but I did spend a lot of much needed time relaxing and getting away from it all. I’d definitely return here to explore more. I loved the island, the culture the people and the food.

No big ‘out of the country’ adventures planned now until the beginning of November, just little mini Yorkshire adventures at the weekend, some creative projects at home, a big pile of books to read, a national fell running competition I’m trying to forget about, and a few weeks of pressing my escape key like Steve 😂😂………………………………………

But before I tell you about those, I have one other piece of exciting news in my life which I just have to share. It’s a proud Mum moment! We have a Master of Physics with Astrophysics in the house!!! Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending Bath Abbey to attend the Masters graduation of my eldest.

It was a marvellous day for him, a fantastic day for science and an even better day for my bank account!😂😂 Yes, almost 24 years after that very special day of his birth in October 2000, I have a fully fledged adult who in theory should now be financially self supporting. I’m not sure how that will work in practice but lets see how long it takes him to come to me for a loan.

I was so glad that Grandma and Grandad got to see him too. They were so proud. So after 24 years of tantrums (including some of my own😂), back chat, dressing up outfits, table top scientific experiments involving baking soda and vinegar, one almost broken window from a self made and launched rocket, lots of adventures, time out on the ‘thinking step’……….and a whole load more ups, downs, twists and turns……………………….he made it! I am so very proud of him. And I have to say I’m a little bit proud of me. Yes, my eyes may glaze over when he starts lecturing me on particles, matter and the interactions between them but I can’t help thinking………..wow, I part made an astrophysicist! Surely some of those brain particle genes must be mine!😂

In running news this was also the week of the Charlesworth and Chisworth Festival Fell Race. Now I made the age old mistake of not checking the route stats before I entered………………I just saw ‘free flapjack for every runner at the end’, and that was me sold. 😂 It was a lovely festival……small countryside village, scarecrow competition, dog show, poultry show, brass band, crowning of the festival King and Queen (you had to be under 12 to enter otherwise I might have done…………..I’d have had more success than in the run!). Then it was time for the fell run. I did wonder why only 8 of my team mates had turned up but all was revealed on starting when I discovered the run was 1.5 miles up the steepest hill you have ever seen and 1.5 miles down again. 🥵 My goodness, the only thing that saved me was the presence of a Mr Whippy ice cream van in the festival field at the end. It took a large Ferrero Rocher ice cream sundae complete with nuts, chocolate sauce and two chocolates on top, in addition to my flapjack, to revive me! I might give that one a miss next year…………….or just come for the Mr Whippy van.

Anyway, I digress, onto the Picos de Europa. I thought the coast of Asturias was pretty……………………..but then I got to the Picos ………….and they are just WOW!! Gorgeous in a different way, but just as jaw dropping.

I can’t tell you how many times I was just speechless it was so spectacular. I had four days here, three walking and one just dotting around in the car. I didn’t stay here, I remained on the coast in Llanes because it was convenient to get to all three areas of the Picos de Europa that I wanted to get to in less than an hour.

I almost don’t want to tell you about it, as other than on a weekend when it’s crowded with locals, there is hardly anyone there and I’d like to keep it that way. It does not have that ‘fame factor’, of the Alps and Pyrenees, but believe me, having been to the Alps, I can confirm it is just as beautiful. It’s quite a small mountain range, with its highest peak being Torre de Cerredo at 1931m. The mountain range straddles the three Spanish regions of Asturias, Cantabria and Castile and Leon. It is split into five sub areas for walking and I walked in three of them Cabrales, Valdeon and Cangas de Onis. You can stay in the Picos de Europa if you want, and the main bases are Potes, Cangas de Onis and Arenas de Cabrales depending on where you want to walk.

If you want a good English language walking guide this one is really good by my favourite hiking guide publishers Cicerone. All the areas are covered and there are walks of varying levels of difficulty and distance.

My first walk in the Picos saw me in the Cabrales area to hike Monte Camba. This was a circular hike of 13.5km with 750m of ascent, so quite challenging in terms of elevation. There were some exposed sections but nothing too onerous. I chose this one because it took in views of, and passed through, two of the prettiest villages in the area Tielve and Sotres, which are the centres of local Cabrales cheese manufacture.

I was also interested in this route as it took you past a number of mountain majadas which still serve the two villages today. A majada is a stone building in the mountains from where the sheep are farmed and from where they make the cheese at source.

The route also promised little-seen views of the summits of the North East sector of the Central Massif, which included a good view of El Naranjo de Bulnes, probably the most well known peak of the Picos de Europa mountain range.

The walk starts at the mountain village of Tielve where I parked the car at the side of the animal drinking trough in the main square. It was a strange little village, almost like the village that time forgot. There were a few cars, a few animals wandering around, an old beat up tractor, but absolutely no sign of life. It looked like there was a bar, but it did not look like it had been open for a while. Perhaps it just opens in the summer when there is an influx of hiking visitors.

Nevertheless, it was a pretty little place and the steep climb out of the village soon began. I did see one farmer who gave me a wave and a shout, and one group of five Spanish gentlemen a bit older than me who looked liked they were on a lads walking day out in the mountains. They peered at me like I was a bit of a novelty (they must not see many mature English women wandering around here 😂) and were happy to be entertained for a few minutes with my Spanish before they peeled off to scale higher peaks.

Tielve was soon a speck in the distance and the views were spectacular. It was not long until I came across the first of the majadas, although there wasn’t much activity today, which was a shame as I wanted to see if I could sneak my way in for a look at it in action.

There were some of my favourite cute cows, more gorgeous views, and I kept winding up and up, through pastures and small copses of hazel bushes. Hazel makes an important contribution to the economy here. The nuts have obvious benefits but no part of the bush goes to waste. The dried leaves are used as animal bedding, the older branches as firewood, the new flexible thin branches for basket weaving and the thick branches for walking sticks. The roots of the bushes also hold the soil together and help to prevent erosion. Eventually, I came out at a road, a communications antennae and lots of lovely shepherds huts at the Collau de la Caballar at 1233m high.

At this point on the road is a statue to the cyclists of the Vuelta de Espana, as the Collau de la Caballar was chosen as the gruelling climb at the end of Stage 15 of the race in 2015. It’s hard enough walking up, never mind on a bike!

Not long after the peak, the path starts winding back down again, and I could see the pretty village of Sotres in the bottom of the valley. I had emergency food in my rucksack but was hoping for there to be more life here and the possibility of some lunch.

Sotres turned out to be a lovely place. It got prettier and prettier as I approached it.

I entered the village into the main street and all my wishes were granted. There was a lovely looking restaurant ‘Meson Restaurante Pena Castil’ and it was open!

I must have looked like I was on my last legs as I plonked myself down at a table and peeled of my rucksack, as I was met by the round smiley face of the proprietor who in Spanish told me I looked like I needed a beer. I’m not sure that’s a good thing as I think it was his polite way of telling me I looked a bit worse for wear!😂 But I did need a beer………a big one…….and a bottle of water as I was gasping!

I saw a typical Asturian dish on the menu and thought I’d give it a try. They call it Fabada and I would very much recommend it. It is so very very tasty and just what you need to revive you after a long walk. It’s like a bean stew made with fabes de la Granja, which are large white beans from Spain. Within the stew are pieces of morcilla (a blood sausage), chorizo and pork belly. With some fresh crusty bread and a beer it’s the hikers dream lunch, even though it was now approaching 28 degrees!

I left the lovely village of Sotres, climbing uphill again, to be rewarded with some lovely views back across the valley and the village.

It wasn’t too long before the path started winding back downhill, and this is where it became quite exposed as you are skirting and zigzagging down a cliffside which hovers over the new road. It’s not too steep a drop off though and the path is quite wide. If you have a really bad fear of heights you might not like it but it did not bother me so it can’t be as bad as some of the guide books make out.

I was soon back in the village of Tielve after a beautiful day and a hike that I would recommend to anyone who likes a steeply inclined walk, beautiful views, no crowds, two pretty villages and some good food. It was a ten out of ten day.

Day 2 in the Picos was just as spectacular. This was the day I decided to walk the Cares Gorge. The Cares Gorge is a huge chasm of a gorge, a split in the limestone which divides the mountain range.

If you want to walk it in its entirety from Posada de Valdeon to Poncebos it’s 20km long and will take you between 5 -7 hours. The only trouble with that option is that it makes it a point to point walk, not circular, and unless you have someone picking you up at the other end there is no easy way back, unless you want to walk 40km and walk all the way back, which I didn’t.

An equally beautiful and viable option if you have a car is to just walk out and back from Poncebos to Cain or vice versa. This way you walk 24km, taking around 6 hours, see the prettiest parts of the gorge and finish back at your car, having walked 12km each way. This was the option I chose.

If you are going to do this walk you need to do it midweek, out of any Spanish holiday period. I’m led to believe it’s a completely different walk and different atmosphere then, as it is one of the best known walks in Spain and gets very overcrowded. This was a Tuesday in May and it was lovely and quiet.

I’ll be entirely honest as well and say this is not a walk for the faint hearted or those with an extreme fear of heights or vertigo. I have a fear of heights and I struggled with it to begin with. I thought I’d be walking in the bottom of the gorge but you aren’t. The path is cut into the wall of one side of the gorge. It’s extremely high, over 100m from the path to the bottom of the gorge in places. Although the path is wide enough, it is a sheer drop off, and there are no barriers along the length of it, it’s up to you to manage yourself. Neither are there any other exit routes, apart from one around two thirds of the way into the walk. So once you’ve set off, if you decide you want to get off, you can’t, without walking to either end of the section, which at the midpoint is 6km either way.

It’s not flat either, there are some really steep uphills and downhills on the path. That aside, if you think you can handle the height, you must do this walk, it is one of the most beautiful walks I have ever done.

I was ready for turning around 10 minutes into the walk. I’d realised the path was going to be elevated for 12km with no option to get off. I was teetering on a little path 100m from the gorge bottom, was a little bit terrified and about to have a little panic. For anyone that has a fear of heights you’ll know what I mean. I’m not scared of heights, I’m scared of falling. You can stand me on top of a mountain thousands of metres high and I have no problem provided there’s no drop off and I can’t fall off. But put me on anything high that I can fall off, like the ledge I was on, and I have an irrational fear. But I know me, and I know that if I just plonk myself down on my bottom, let that initial fear pass, and have a rational word with myself I can normally get over myself. So that’s what I did and after around 10 minutes I’d had a drink of water, nothing terrible had happened and I’d got used to being on my little elevated perch. It would have been such a shame not to press on so I convinced myself that that was the best option.

I had the most amazing walk. I saw eagles, vultures, lots of mountain goats, the most spectacular views and lots and lots of water as there is an hydro-electric dam at one end of the gorge and a channel is cut along the gorge which transports the water all along the gorge, half way up the gorge wall. It really is one of those places that has to be seen.

Once you get to the small hamlet of Cain there are a number of bars and restaurants where you can refuel before you start the journey back. I’d taken my picnic which I ate after finding a quiet spot on a rock down by the side of the river. My picnic was lacking something though………and I realised it was an ice cream! I decided I definitely deserved one so had my picnic and a chocolate almond ice cream before setting off on my merry little way back to the car.

The walk back was equally as lovely as you get a completely different view to that which you get on the way out. The climb is less too, apart from one steep section, so I seemed to make the return journey much quicker than the outward journey.

On the way back to Llanes in the car I stopped at the lovely town of Potes in the middle of the Picos de Europa. It was dropping a little cold and the cloud had come down but it was a really nice, busy little town. There is a lovely riverside walk which I had a wander down.

Pretty alleyways, houses and flower filled balconies abound. It really is a pleasant little place.

Then I made two discoveries that made me giggle. The first was a rabbit skin foot warmer! Just look at this. If I could have fitted this in my luggage I would have had this. My feet are always freezing cold. I have a bit of a love affair with my fluffy sheepskin slippers at home but this would just be the Rolls Royce of foot warming equipment. I need one in my life

Then I spotted a monument in the middle of a small square. Now it might just be me, no-one else might see what I am seeing and it was probably not appropriate for me have a giggle at it, as given the dates on it it’s probably a monument to something really sombre and sad. I have absolutely no idea but I think it is something to do with the rebuilding of Potes after it was the final town in the Santander area to be absolutely decimated and captured by Franco and the Republicans in the Spanish Civil war……………………………….so it’s no laughing matter. But seriously who designed this?!?!? Did they really think the finial type thing on the top was a good design or were they too, having a laugh? I have absolutely no idea but I have fondly named it the ‘Penis of Potes’. 😂😂 I am sure that’s not its real name but if the aim was to leave a lasting impression then it worked.

That was the end to another lovely day with just enough time for a beer before bed time. I was ready for it……….both the beer and my bed! I was so tired.

My last day of walking in the Picos took me to probably the most well known place in the area, the Covadonga Lakes. However, I did not see them at their best as it was not the greatest day weatherwise, with low lying cloud hugging the tops of the mountains. The advantage of that of course was that there weren’t too many other people there.

The road up to the lakes is open to traffic during the week so I parked in the visitor car park. On a weekend in the summer you now have to leave your car in Cangas de Onis, the nearest large town and get the shuttle bus up as it gets so overcrowded.

It’s really high up here and when I got out of the car at the top it was absolutely freezing and blowing a gale. I’d got appropriate clothing so got all wrapped up in my down jacket and off I went for a look around. There are two lakes, Lake Enol and Lake Ercina and they are both glacial lakes. In the summer they will be gorgeous but even on a day like this one, there was something special about them. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop and the mist and low lying cloud on the top of the water made it really ethereal.

I had planned a short 4 mile route around the lakes but first of all I wanted a little walk in the other direction to look at the Majada de Belbin. This one is a working majada, where in the summer the shepherds tend their livestock and make cheese. There was a beautiful view down to the majada, nestling in a sea of rolling green hills. I could see a couple of gentlemen but unfortunately my attempts to get close to the majada were thwarted by a Spanish mastiff dog who seemed to view me as a threat to his sheep he was guarding.😦 Now I love dogs, but this one did not look like it was going to roll over for a tummy rub. It was barking and growling at me and its fangs were huge, so rather than chancing my luck I decided to retrace my steps, sit on a rock and view it from a distance.

By now the cloud was really coming in low but I had my compass and still wanted to do my little walk. I set off round the edge of Lake Ercina first and climbed up and over the small peak at the far end. Here I discovered another small majada and a lovely view back to the lake.

The walk than skirted through a number of areas of woodland and rock strewn plateaus. The route was quite easy to follow and it was waymarked with the usual yellow and white footpath signs in the rocky areas where the path was a little more ambiguous. There were pretty alpine flowers even at this high level in the cold and wind.

I kept climbing upwards until I reached the Vega de Enol which is a flat grazing area, at the top of which stands the Ermita de El Buen Pastor (the Chapel of the Good Shepherd). It’s here, where at the beginning of July, a traditional festival takes place with music, dancing, food and a race to the top of the nearby mountain. The purpose of the festival is to elect the new Head Shepherd for the year ahead. A bit like Charlesworth and Chisworth festival but without the Mr Whippy van. 😁

It was quite eerie up here by now as the mist had really rolled in so I stared to make my way back to the car via Lake Enol.

By now I was really cold and the weather up here was worsening so thought it time to drive back down the winding mountain road and dip back below the clouds.

I just had time on the way back to stop in Cangas de Onis for coffee and a quick wander as I was eager to find the roman bridge there and the starting point of the Sella river canoe descent. It was a busy town and seemed to be the adventure sports centre of the Picos de Europa. Lots of hotels, bars, restaurants and adventure equipment stores. I found the pretty bridge, with the lovely clear water beneath. It would be a lovely place for a dip when it’s hot.

That was the end to three fantastic days walking in the area and your little guide to three fantastic walks too. This is a definitely a place for a longer revisit for me. Plenty more walks to do in my book, which all look equally as good.

That’s definitely all I’ve got time for now though until September. Because I am so excited, and not many grown ups do excited like I do! 😂 ……………………………. Today SCHOOL IS OFFICIALLY ‘OUT FOR SUMMER’! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY. I’m like a child that’s eaten too many blue sweets! Passport packed, first stop Crete! Bring on the holidays…………..I am so ready for them this year! Never before have I been so excited about a puzzle compendium! I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to tell you about Crete on my return because I am so tired. I have no plans other than books, puzzles, ice cream, kleftiko, and white wine soda……….all at the same time!! 🤭