From Yorks to Lincs

We left the campsite outside Settle having spent four nights there and doing some walks in and around the town. The best was the walk onto the fells (the tops) with views across the town. We programmed Snoopy to take us south to Lincolnshire avoiding the A1 and all motorways.

Lunchtime found us in the Sherwood forest (from Robin Hood fame) south of Doncaster. Beautifully green with large open areas on National Trust property, meant the ideal location. We had just sat down to soup and fresh rolls when a warden appeared saying that the fee is £5.50 for parking. I put on my best Afrikaans accent and said that is rather high for just a lunch stop of one hour. He took the point and said if I bought two raffle tickets at a Pound each it would be fine; deal done!

No such thing as a free lunch!

See the face in the window.

For some days now Joan and I had been saying we must try our hand at 'wild camping'. This simply means that you overnight not being parked on or in a designated campsite. It gives you more of a yesteryear feel to camping when the world was a less regulated place. It entails finding a suitable quiet spot outside a town to stop for the night, i.e. a layby, a pub carpark in town or some such place where you cause no disturbance or irritation. Pub carparks entails gaining the permission of the Landlord or Manager. The photo above is of such a place near the RAF Cranwell base. We had views across fields of flowering yellow rape seed with the loud bangs of devices chasing off crows and rooks from the seeds every now and then.

No visit to Lincolnshire is complete without a visit to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) based at RAF Coningsby. The hangar is full of airworthy Hurricanes, Spitfires and one of only two flying Lancaster heavy bombers.

"Phantom of the Ruhr".