Walking with Kids

RSPB Leighton Moss – Watch Out For The Wag Man

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Remember March 2020?  Our lives changed in completely unexpected ways as the UK was placed into lockdown to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.  The next three months became a blur of working from home, home-schooling, bingeing true crime on Netflix and hand sanitiser.  But then along came summer and, as restrictions were lifted, we were excited to venture out of Manchester and explore somewhere different to the local ex golf course.

 

One Friday, we decided home school wasn’t for us.  It was time to head out somewhere.  Rowan has always loved birds, so we decided to bunk off and visit RSBP Leighton Moss to see what we could find.

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Wainright Walk 17 – Castle Crag

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Standing at 290 metres, Castle Crag is the smallest fell in Alfred Wainwright’s pictorial guides.  However, what it lacks in height, it more than makes up for in character.  I’ve walked up Castle Crag a few times, and know how lovely yet interesting it is, so when my Mum decided to join me and Rowan for her first Lakeland hill walk, it seemed like the perfect choice.  And given that the route I’d planned took us to, what Alfred Wainwright described as, the loveliest square mile in Lakeland, we were in for a brilliant day out.

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Goat Fell – The Mountain Goat and the Eagle?

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Standing at 2,866 feet, Goat Fell is the highest mountain on Arran.  On our first visit to the island, we decided against trying to reach the summit.  It would have been by far the furthest and highest Rowan had walked, so we didn’t want to over-do it and potentially put him off days out in the mountains.  But for our latest visit, and with Birkhouse Moor under his belt, we decided he would probably be ok.  We just needed a decent mountain forecast during the week – and we were in luck.

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#AdventureCalling – December 2020

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Can you believe it’s December already?  It’s certainly been a unusual/difficult year for most of us, but hopefully you have been able to get outside, maybe exploring local areas a bit more.  We’ve recently been to local parkland watching the deer, and I’ve also found a quiet local field that has great visibility.  Having visibility is fab for me and my two fearful mutts as they get a bit of off lead running and I can keep an eye out for other “scary” dawgs whilst watching their happy faces as they charge about.  It’s certainly better than pavement pounding.

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Kingscross Point – Kings, Vikings and a Surprise Fort

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Long summer days mean it’s possible to really make the most of where you are visiting on holiday.  After chilling on the beach by the Preaching Cave in Kilpatrick, we drove round the southern edge of the island to Sandbraes, just past Whiting Bay.  Parking alongside some playing fields in front of the Whiting Bay and Kildonan Church (postcode KA27 8RE) just off the A841, we bundled out of the car for our second stroll of the day, this time, to Kingscross Point.

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North Glen Sannox – White Horses

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In 2018, our honeymoon took us to the Isle of Arran, off the west coast of Scotland.  We fell in love with the place.  So much so, we were back again the following year, this time bringing along my Mum, Dad and sister, Karen.  Whilst driving around during our prior visit, I kept noticing a path running alongside a river in the mountainous north of the island.  It was so inviting, and it was now time to see where it led.

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Robin Hood’s Bay to Boggle Hole – Imps and Fossils

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Last summer saw us back in Whitby for a few days.  (yep – I am THAT behind on writing things up – good job I have notes and lots of photos!)  Previously, we had wanted to take the cliff top walk from Robin Hood’s Bay to Boggle Hole, but I had been too poorly.  After exploring the town the night before we had woken to glorious sunshine – today would be the day.

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Brothers Water – Chilling by the Water

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Our first weekend away in Tormund proved to be extremely lucky with the weather.  After a brilliant day out exploring Birkhouse Moor and Red Tarnand a surprisingly comfortable night in the van, we woke to warm sunshine and wisps of cloud in the blue sky.  We had already decided to take it easy on the Sunday so after a bit of a lie, we started the day with a breakfast of kings in the fresh air.

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Wainwright Walk 15 – Birkhouse Moor and Red Tarn

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You may remember from my first Wainwright walk post, Cold Pike and Pike o’Blisco, we used to get around the Lakes in Old Peg, our brilliant old campervan.  We’ve missed having a van so last year, after much scrolling through eBay, we bought Tormund the Transit.  And our first trip (after the back garden) – the Lake District.  Travelling up on Friday night, we stayed at Sykeside Camping Park and after tea in the pub and a wander down the lane at the back of the site, we settled in for the night.

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Fallen Rocks – Where’s Pebble?

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One of the great things about Arran is just going for a drive and pulling in to different places to see what is there.  I suppose that can be the same anywhere really.  After a morning spent at Kildonnan looking for seals, we decided to drive round the island, pulling in wherever we fancied.  It was getting late when we drove into a picnic area at North Sannox.  It was a gorgeous spot.  After messing around for a while at the spot where North Sannox Burn enters the sea, we decided we head back to the cottage for some tea.  Before we left, I checked the information board and noticed that we could start a walk to Fallen Rocks from here.

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