Using my bus pass.

Good evening. A busy day today. Coffee Morning from 10 till 12. There weren't many people there. Home for a quick lunch. Catch the 1.09 bus to town. We have a different bus company. They have a new contract for our route. They use smaller buses, which is better. A much smoother ride. I called in to see Nicki at the Arts Centre, then I walked home. It was cool when I set off so I dressed accordingly. Half way through the walk I was too hot, the sun came out and I had to fold the jacket up and squash it into the rucksack. I had trousers on, and would have been better wearing a skirt. 

I recorded this video on Saturday afternoon as I was leaving Newark Showground to come home. I'll put it in here to fill a space. 

I like to do half an hour in the garden as the sun goes down and before it gets dark, so I'll say tatty byes and Toodle pip for now. Catch ya tomorrow.   ilona 

🔴 Fancy a ride on a Monorail.

Good morning. Still raining. Not much point in going outside. I'm glad I did my shopping last night. In and out in half an hour, got everything I need, £65 spent on three weeks shopping. That will do nicely. 

Who would like to take a look at South Korea? Easy, no problem. Take a monorail ride. Nice and gentle, sit back and look at the sights. Switch to full screen.

Now going to do some sewing. Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

My knight in shining armour

I've had a man at my house this morning. Meet my friendly local RAC man. I moved the car to the centre of the drive yesterday, to wash it. It needed it. I am embarrassed to say I don't wash my car very often, and I am not going to pay anyone else to do it.

When I went to it at 7pm to go to a WI meeting, I am the speaker, it would not start. Oh bother. Get on the phone, ring a friend for a lift, not in. Go up the road to ask another friend, not in. Go across the road to ask another friend, not in. Ring another friend, help can you come. Friend dropped everything and came out to help. He transported me and my props to the venue, a Village Hall three miles away. 

I did the talk, big success, lots of giggles. Asked if someone could give me a lift home. Thank you to June who went out of her way to deposit me at my front door. 

This morning I did my normal three mile walk at 9am, I now have a friend who comes with me. I was almost home when our local RAC man came down the street in his van, with his big dog in the passenger seat, taking it for a walk. He doesn't walk it from the house he drives to a country lane so the dog can run free. 

I flagged him down and told him of my dilemma, a car that wouldn't start. I knew he wouldn't be able to do anything because he can only take work as directed by his office, but I thought I would mention it anyway, because he is a friend. 

I rang the help line and reported the breakdown, and was told someone would be there within the hour. I thought it would be daft to bring someone from miles away when there is a man and van who lives in my village, but there you go, rules are rules. 

I had to laugh when my friend turned up, he had walked his dog, dropped it off at home and come straight round to me.  

I suspected it might be the battery, and it was. Get the computer out, diagnostic check all round.

My friend the RAC man said I have a good car, it's worth keeping. Everything in good order, except the battery. How lucky that he brought a new one with him.

So much easier to get assistance at home. My policy cost me £68 a year. I used to pay the RAC direct, but now I get it through an insurance broker, it's a lot cheaper.

Mobile again, and the car is clean. Think I might go out tomorrow. Toodle pip.  ilona

On yer bike!

I little video I did yesterday. Sunny day bike ride. Wobbling, sore bum, changing gears, puffing and panting up hills, is this really for me? Does it get any easier with practice?



If you want to read about real cycling, go to Brenda's blog here.

Ilona

In praise of Youth Hostels

Hello. This post is for Summerdays, Sandy, and HelenD, who want to know more about Youth Hostels. Everyone else may read it as well. The name Youth Hostels can be misconstrued, anyone can stay at them, not just young people. The YHA is a charity, they provide cheap affordable accommodation to people travelling around. Not just for holiday makers, travelling business people can use them as well. I twice stayed in them on nights out with my truck. 

There are all types of buildings, from large stately homes, mansion houses, modern purpose built ones, and converted cottages, barns, and schools. Some of them now have camping pods in the garden. 

Prices vary depending on the location, type of room, and time of year. Prices go up in the peak holiday times, and they can be very low in the quiet off peak times. The web site prices are for everyone, but if you are a member there is a discount of £3 off per bed per night. There is the option of booking a family room en suite, or a double en suite. You can even book the whole hostel for a private party. A bed in a dorm is the cheapest option, the dorms can be four bedded, up to ten bedded. Most dorms have a sink in the room, some have a toilet and shower en suite. 

This is the reception desk at Malham. Check in here, book your meals if you want one, buy a beer if you so wish. It is not allowed to take your own booze into a hostel which has a liquor licence. If you have forgotten your towel you can hire one. All bedding is included, sometimes you have to make up your own bunk, when you leave you strip the linen off and leave it at the collection point. Booking in time is about 4pm, but the warden may be around if you arrive earlier.You can come and go as you please, but normally the front door is locked at 11pm. If you come in later you punch a code into the lock to gain entry. Try not to disturb other residents.

This is the lounge area next to reception. You can usually order coffee and snacks.

Breakfast is served from 7.30am. Help yourself to tea and coffee, cereals, toast and jam. 

The hot food is served here, a good choice, the usual English Breakfast. Yogurt, fruit, and cheese available.

This is the dining room at Malham. Clean, light and bright. When you have finished eating take your crockery to the trolley and place things in groups together. Cutlery goes in a bowl of soapy water, plates piled up, and waste food goes in the bin. There is the option of going self catering, just ask for the members kitchen. All the pots and pans you need, you don't need to take anything from home.

There is a very nice lounge at Malham. Comfy easy chairs, watch tele, magazines and books to read, and games for children to play. Most hostels have these facilities, some rooms are bigger, some smaller. The city hostels can be busy and noisy, they seem to attract a lot of young people, they generally have a quiet room away from the noise. A lot of hostels now have WI FI. 

I always have a bottom bunk if there is one available. I prefer a smaller dorm, but there has been times when I have had to go into an 8 or 10 bedded room. Some room mates can be a bit noisy, but most are fine. A lot of hostels have lockable lockers, take a small padlock with you. If no lockers, don't leave valuables in your room. Everyone in the room is issued with a key. There are separate showers and toilets for everyone to use. 

I was a member in 1981 - 82 - and 83. They had a system where you got a rubber stamp whenever you stayed at one. Some of these hostels are now closed. I believe you can still collect these stamps, but I haven't kept up with it.

Whenever I book a bed, I check availability on the web site. There is a facility for booking online, but I prefer to ring up and book over the phone. There is always a pleasant and helpful person on the other end. You can also ask about a private room, if you prefer that option.

Here is the link to the YHA web site.

I've borrowed a few pics from the web site, some of the hostels I have stayed at. Have a good look around and see if there is one you fancy.

Grasmere, Lake District. a stunning Victorian Mansion.

Grinton Lodge, North Yorkshire. An old Hunting Lodge, set in it's own grounds with fantastic views over Swaledale.

 Hartington Hall, Derbyshire. A country house in the heart of the Peak District..

Perranport, Cornwall. A cosy hostel in a cliff top location with fantastic views, and two and a half miles of sandy beaches.

Ravenstor, Derbyshire. A National Trust property near Buxton.

I made a short video when I was at Earby Youth Hostel. It will take me ages to find it on my computer so if you click on the 'My Videos' page at the top under the header it will take you there. This link will also take you to the page. The one you want is the eighth one down. It is 6 mins 43 seconds long.

Phew, I think I have covered most points, if I have forgotten anything, please ask. This is not a sponsored post, although it does read like an advert, ha ha. Hostels are great places to stop if you are single, there is always someone friendly to talk to. Happy hosteling.
Toodle pip

PS. Here is the link to the Scottish Youth Hostel site.

Holiday on the cheap

Hello. How do you have a cheap eight day holiday in the UK for just over £200? First of all you need a bus pass, because you don't want to be paying anything for transport. Then you need to go to the parts of the country where there are hostels. Unfortunately they are not evenly spread about, there are pockets of them in tourist areas like The Lakes, Derbyshire, and the South West, For a full list go to the YHA web site. The prices quoted are for non members, deduct £3 per night if you are a member. For information about hostels in Scotland go to the SYHA site.  It is cheaper to join the Scottish YHA than the English one. The benefits are the same, your membership covers you for a discount at the YHA and the SYHA. There is an Independent Hostel site as well, or you could try Couch Surfing, or Air B&B.

Here is a breakdown of my costs.
Monday B & B at Pateley Bridge. £55
Tuesday Malham Youth Hostel £17
Wednesday Windermere Youth Hostel £18.50
Thursday & Friday Ambleside Youth Hostel £39
Saturday B & B Kendal £30
Sunday York Youth Hostel £17.
I had a breakfast at the hostels, good value at £5, but you could make your own in the self catering kitchens. Bedding is included. I had a bed in a female dorm, the cheapest option, though some private rooms are available which cost more.
Total for accommodation £176.50

I allowed myself £3.50 a day for other food. I didn't have an evening meal, because I knew I was getting a big breakfast in the morning. I bought bananas, pasta salad, button mushrooms, crisps, bread, cheese, sprouting beans, and I had a packet of pasta in cheese sauce which I cooked at a hostel.

I don't usually pay to go in places, I am more interested in the outside of buildings. I did go in the Pencil Museum, had seen it on the tele and it looked quirky. It was interesting.

I had one ice cream, £1.70, and I spent £9.60 on gingerbread, not all for myself I hasten to add, a gift for a friend. So they were my two treats.

Total cost was £214.80, so that's how to have a cheap holiday.

Working out bus timetables was the biggest challenge. With no definite route in mind, I made it up as I went along. Arriving at a bus station and reading all the boards to see where the buses were going. Some had electronic screens which gave information about all buses, and updated it every couple of minutes. That made it a bit easier. I suppose you could check timetables before you go, and book accommodation to fit in with the buses. That seems like a lot of hard work to me. Also you get local knowledge from the staff who work at the bus stations. Another way to do it is to book several nights at the same hostel and use that as a base to go out each day using local buses.

I carried a rucksack, but you could do it with a wheelie suitcase if you weren't going to do much walking. I suggest if you are thinking of doing a bus pass holiday, to book some cheap accommodation  for two or three nights, within a days travel of your home. Check the bus times before and make sure you can get to your destination in one day. Anyone fancy giving it a go?

I'm going to be a bit busy tomorrow, so if you don't mind, I will take a day off from blogging. I need to catch up. Thank you. Toodle pip.

A walk from Hull City Centre to Paull

Aaahhhh, that's better, fully refreshed after a good nights sleep. Yesterday I walked 14.3 miles, not a great distance for me, easily achievable in the five and a half hours it took me. I bought a new Ordnance Survey map last week of Kingston upon Hull and surrounding areas, more places to explore in a day out.

It was a last minute decision to go out, there was a record on the radio just before 9am in the morning, some pop group singing 'Should I stay, or should I go'. I looked out of the window and decided to go. It was very misty but the sun was trying to break through, it had the potential of being a nice day, so I quickly stuffed a few things in my little backpack and drove to Barton to catch the bus over the Humber Bridge to Hull. I got out at the bus station in the city centre and started walking. I planned to walk eastbound for as far as I could alongside the river, there was a good path marked on the map.

I crossed the busy main A63 road and headed for the Marina. In the first three photo's you can see a lovely blue sky, it wasn't so blue looking in the other direction over the water, there was still a heavy mist swirling about. I love the ornate top of the Whittington & Cat Public House. It's so nice that it has been preserved.  

There are always a lot of boats in the Marina.

The Minerva Pub has been talked about a lot by Burnsy on his morning show on BBC Radio Humberside. It's future has been hanging in the balance for a long time. There have been a lot of financial problems and it has recently been closed for a while. I spoke to the men working on the front cleaning it up, they tell me that it has a new owner so things may be looking up. I have found a smashing article about it, you may wish to read more about this historical pub.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/foodanddrink/top-100-famous-pubs/8617697/The-Minerva-Hull.html 

Onward along the waters edge I went. Next comes a few misty photo's, looking out over the Humber.

A jogger passes me. Looks like the timbers from the old docks have been left in place. The paved walkway continues for quite a long distance making easy walking.

Relics of old piers, warehouses, and landing stages. The sun was making a valiant attempt to break through.

I passed a large sign which said that the lock gates may be open further ahead to allow boats to pass through to enter Alexandra Dock, and there could ba a two hour period when the path would be inaccessible to walkers and cyclists. There was no indication of the times that this may happen, so I took my chances and carried on along the concrete walkway. Some fifteen minutes later I arrived at the lock only to find the gates open, my way was closed. I pondered for a few minutes, wondering if I should retrace my steps and go the long way round. Then I noticed these two little boats, side by side, hooked up together, heading towards the lock. Are my prayers about to be answered? They were.  

Their shift was over, and they entered the lock.

Parked up for a few minutes while the first gates were closed, waiting for the second gates further down to open. My path is about to be re instated.

Now I can cross, phew, that's a relief.

The next landmark along the waters edge is King George Dock, where the big passenger ferries come into. This is The Pride of Rotterdam, which parks just outside the dock entrance. The Zeebrugge ferry goes into the dock, I couldn't get close enough for a good picture of that.

At this point the footpath goes up some steps and over the top of the road which takes the cars onto the ferry. Still a bit of mist about.

I took a couple of pics of the docks on the other side as I was going over the top.

Next there was a long walk alongside a lot of sheds. This is Salt End Jetty. At this point the path goes inland a bit, and goes round the outer edges of an industrial area. The noise from the chemical works and power station was deafening, a good idea to take the hearing aid out, ha ha.  

I came across this fox snoozing in the afternoon sun. By this time it had warmed up, turning into a beautiful sunny day. I got quite hot.

Now according to the map the path I am following comes to an abrupt end, but no matter, I was going to try my luck and see if I could find a way to join the road. A big sign told me that the path was ending, but I saw some tyre marks on the ground which told me that cyclists have passed that way before, so I followed their tracks. I knew I had to cross a railway line, but as luck would have it, it was a disused line so easy to cross. Then I came across a couple of Environmental Agency vans, they must have been driven there from the road. I asked the man if I could walk to the road. He said yes, follow the track. Whooppeeee, YES, I came out just where I wanted to be. Next was a bit of road walking. I had made my mind up to walk to Paull, a village further down the Humber. There was a footpath from the road which would take me there. As I had done a big loop, I found myself on the other side of the Salt End Jetty. This is where the tanker ships come in, to service the huge chemical works.

Here we are in Paull. In the main street is this lighthouse. Looks rather grand standing at the junction where two roads meet, close to the waters edge.

There is a museum just outside the village, closed for the winter, open again in March. Taken from the web site. Explore 500 years of history within the walls of this superb Napoleonic fortress set in 10 acres with magnificent views over the Humber estuary. It has quite an interesting history, check out wiki if you want to know more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Paull

My mission was to carry on walking untill I could walk no further. There is a little peninsular which juts out onto the mud. It's called Cherry Cobb Sand Bank. Almost there, a couple of light houses to pass.  

That's it, the end of the path, time to go back.

Twas a lovely day out. I retraced my steps back to Paull village, hoping to get a bus back to Hull. Couldn't understand the timetable at the shelter, it looked as if it might be another hour before a bus arrived. I decided to walk to Hedon, another couple of miles, a bigger place so a better chance of getting a bus. Again my luck was holding out, I arrived at the bus stop and within ten minutes a bus arrived. Straight into the bus station to get my connection back across the bridge to Barton and my waiting car. Brilliant. Didn't spend any money, took my own food and drink. Can't beat it. Toodle pip.