Tag: itinerary

Planning for the NC500

It has been a while since I’ve given an update on the big trip coming up for us in late summer. As of midnight tonight, our mega busy month of June will be over and it is just as well as Mr W has caught covid. So this weekend of planned ‘time-out’ truly will be a stay at home event. No plans. No house stuff. Not even sharing a bed or a sofa at the moment with the fella so it is truly a time-out event. He actually seems okay at the moment which is a huge relief. So yes, June has been a tad mad. A weekend away in Norfolk. A long weekend in Northumberland. Family parties. Errands galore. Life. And finding time to run this house. But hey, we made it through!

And here we start the countdown to Scotland! The NC500 is calling and I cannot believe we are so close. The house is starting to look like a doomsdayers shelter with boxes piling high for all the food and supplies we are taking. The itinerary I have (so far) is crazy long and it is still not finished. 

Granted there are minor things left to be done now, a few payments, adjustments mainly to the Isle of Skye section and a couple of reservations to be made. Otherwise it’s the behind the scenes stuff. I need to get my organising head on and tackle all the food boxes. I really do not want to spend my days digging through boxes of food to find a meal. So I want our car to be like a pantry, all food that will be eaten in the car, will be in one or two boxes in the rear footwells. This goes for the travel water bottles, drinks, kettle etc. Food in the back of the car will be for meals in the evenings and mornings, so ideally easy to grab as we arrive at hotels along with our essentials such as clothing and toiletries. 

We need an easy system for our clothing so we don’t have to haul our luggage out every night. We have 12 hotels in 14 days, that’s a lot of hauling! 

It feels like the car is basically going to be a home on wheels for 15 days without the bed. 

I’d also like to sort out some kind of bin system for while we are between hotels so we’re not mixing up recyclables with rubbish. Today, I spent some time contacting all of our hotels and I have to say it’s been an unexpected surprise. I’ve heard back from 8 or so, so far, and they have all been super friendly and understanding of our mission to be sustainable while on our trip. A few have said they pick through the bins from the guest rooms themselves and divide up the rubbish. Where I commend this, I couldn’t necessarily let someone do this on our behalf. So I’m aiming to use sustainable brown paper bags to put our recyclable waste into and our hopefully very minimal rubbish will be binned in the hotel as provided. If I manage to find the time, I want to find some recycling points along the route too. It just takes the pressure off of us emptying the car at the end of the day. This gives our sustainable mission every opportunity to be fulfilled and definitely makes all the planning worthwhile. 

In the ‘Sustainability on a budget’ and ‘Out of body experience’ blogs from April and May (links below), I spoke about how we had been testing out the idea of tinned food and it’s proved quite successful. All tins but the ravioli and meatballs were really tasty, packed with the protein we’ll need and give us a much needed break from oatmeal and noodles. It’s also saving us a tonne of money. Usually when we go away we can spend anything between £10 on a budget sandwich or £40 for a meal out. These tins and a few crackers are going to cost between £0.90-£2.00 for each of us and where we’ll be in the car constantly or walking it is the most logical way of eating. There are also very few restaurants on the West side of the highlands so this really is a win-win situation. 

Recyclable. Tick. 

Budget friendly. Tick.

Longlife storage. Tick. 

Tasty. Tick.

Sustainability on a budget
Out of body experience number 342

Something I’ve realised from our Northumberland trip is how much space we will be working with in our car. Four of us squeezed into the car for a four day trip. Which is insane, as the two of us need to fit all of our stuff for 15 days! That’s food, luggage, photography equipment and blogging necessities. Next on my to-do list is finding a laundrette so we can take a week’s worth of clothing to cut down on the space our luggage takes up. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of possibilities to wear the same trousers for a few days in a row or I’m sure Mr W could do the ol’ underwear flip, but the fact remains, we need to wash our clothes. So far I’ve found one laundrette and it’s on a really busy day for us that we’ll be in that area. I’m sure I’ll find one. My initial search was made when I was fighting to stay awake, one eye open and drained by hayfever. There’s a good chance my brain wasn’t functioning at full capacity!

Little triumphs like the bladder bags and kettle have arrived since I last wrote about this trip. And they have been trialled and tested. They’re not too shabby to be fair and I’m convinced after our water intake in Northumberland that our two 5 litre bottles, that we use for our main water supply on a day to day basis, will save our bacon when it comes to hydration and budget. They will be the only plastic bottles on our trip and the fact that we have been using them for over 2 years makes me really happy. Eco-warrior or eco-geek? 

Mr W also found a bargain the other day that he is rather proud of. A pair of work out leggings? Like the gym ones? I have no idea what they are called. But basically they’ll be worn under his trousers and act like thermal/longjohn type things. He’s very pleased with himself. 

He also *drum roll* bought our first fully capable drone and I’m sure once covid has left this household we’ll be doing lots of test flights. It is a smaller model which means we don’t have to apply for a special incense but we do have to register it. I am really excited about this part of the planning as all you ever see with Scotand are aerial shots and I want to see it from land and air. So I am raring to go!

There is one more thing I’m tempted to add into this trip and that is geocaching. I don’t want it to add any locations to our already bursting itinerary but if there are any geocaches in the places we’ll be going that will certainly make things more interesting. Solving some puzzles along the way will make the long walks just that bit more entertaining I think and it’s also so great to be a part of the journey of others by writing in those little logbooks. This will be one of the last things I look into but I hope we can join in wherever possible. Mr W introduced me to it back in 2013 and I really enjoyed the problem solving part of it all. So as long as it’s fun I don’t see the harm in adding it to this powerhouse of a trip.

One thing that hasn’t worked well, and this is me being totally transparent because you have to be honest about these things, is the ponchos we bought on ebay. They can be used as a ground sheet, strung up to make a temporary shelter or worn to keep dry while walking. They have a hood with a drawstring and are ENORMOUS. Absolutely perfect for covering our backpacks and most of our bodies should we get caught out, which is most likely going to happen, on one of our big walks. Unfortunately, while walking in Kielder this past weekend, nature called and demanded the ponchos be worn. After a 25 minute walk my clothes underneath became a little soggy. My chest, arms and the top of my back were damp on our return to the car and this does not bode well when considering we may be walking in rain for over four hours if we are very unlucky. It’s not so much back to the drawing board on this but a fail-safe backup may be needed. I’m thinking, extremely sturdy umbrellas AND ponchos. This is all to avoid paying the extortionate amounts of money for completely waterproof coats and trousers and using what we have instead. Something we cannot risk, me particularly, is sitting in damp clothes. Especially on my chest. I get ill really easily with colds and chest infections and it may stop the trip in its tracks. So we plan, plan, plan to stop this happening!

My what a lot to do in such a short amount of time. I’ll spend more time as we move closer to the departure date detailing some of the tips I have for the hurdles we’ve come up against and any other purchases we make to help us out. 

For now, night night!

Northumberland – a 4 day plan

So, as you may have seen, we’ve been in Northumberland on a little holiday recently and I thought I’d share my initial itinerary with you. So that’s below, in its most basic forms…

After the first itinerary I’m going to tell you all about the changes I would make and then create a brand new itinerary for you to follow should you ever want to visit one of the UK’s most magical areas.

Edits:

DAY ONE.

Arriving into Alnwick as early as possible would be great for the sake of seeing the gardens to their full extent. The poison garden is absolutely awesome and even though I’m not a tour type of person, it is a must as there are government regulations concerning the Class A, B and C drug plants they have on site. The central fountain and serpentine interactive fountains are just so much fun. The ornamental garden at the top of the site is just absolutely stunning, I recommend taking a book and a sandwich so after you wander you can find a bench and enjoy the tranquil sounds of the streams of water bubbling over their pebbly paths. There are some huge shaded tunnels which are perfect to hide away from the midday sun and yet enjoy the views over the gardens. If you choose to go to the gardens I think you should give a good four to five hours to immerse yourself completely. When buying a ticket for the gardens you can use the Pavilion restaurant which has a beautiful outdoor seating area. The food and drink on offer is tasty enough but light, so as we planned to have dinner here, I now know this is not possible. Also, if you choose to visit Alnwick Castle and not the gardens you cannot go into the Pavilion restaurant, however The Bakery located just outside the entrance to the Alnwick Gardens serves the same food. So don’t despair too much! Should you choose to go into the Castle I believe you only need two or so hours. Which means you can start your day later or spend more time in the town!

After leaving your entrance of choice, I recommend a visit to Barter books, if you choose to use the car park I mentioned, it’s not too far a walk. The car park closes for new cars at 4/5pm, but they leave the exit open so you can park all day without a worry. It is £3 for the whole day which I think is really reasonable.

Barter books is a used book shop housed in an old train station and it is phenomenal! Nothing about the actual building has changed and everything feels so traditional and unchanged, mainly because it is!

There is a tearoom in the old waiting room, and even on our second visit to this place we have missed its opening hours. So, another itinerary edit is to make sure you get there before it’s 6pm closing time! After this you have an hour to look around the building and make sure to look UP in the second room as you enter. It is an absolutely stunning building and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back when in the area! 

DAY TWO

Honestly, when I say have a big breakfast I mean it. The weather changes rapidly in Northumberland and if it’s raining your body is going to need the pep up to keep you moving. IF it’s sunny, you are going to sweat! So good food and slot of fluids! We take our metal drinks bottles or a 2L reusable bottle on our trips and refill them regularly from a 5 litre bottle we keep in the car. Keep hydrated!

We stay in Bellingham when we are in the National Park, it works nicely with visiting Kielder, accessing the petrol station in the village and is only 25 minutes from the A1. There are lots of areas to stay in the National Park and each have their own merits. Most will be self catering so check out the locations for shops for supplies. On this trip we had a lodge in Bellingham and took all of our own food as the hotel shop nearby is a Co-op and they can be pricey at the best of times.

To get the best out of the Hareshaw Linn walk, start early to avoid the majority of all the visitors. Take a long pause at the end of the trail before making your return. There is a cave to sit in, stop and just listen to the waterfall. We allowed 4 hours for this walk, but I’d say it’s easy enough to finish with lots of breaks in 3 hours. These breaks are for the amazing scenes on each of the 6 bridges and the carefully selected locations for the benches. Make sure to keep an eye out for the elusive red squirrel. On both of our visits to this spot we have spotted squirrels and this time even saw a full size deer! Take your time and enjoy!

After your walk, take a short drive down to the amazing Tea on the Train experience to enjoy the home-made sandwiches, cakes and treats on offer. You will not regret it!

Now here is where things got extremely tight on time. The Kielder reservoir is enormous! and the Lakeside way walk is 26 miles long. With multiple art installations it is hard to just pick one. This was our second attempt to walk to the Silvalis Capitalis site and we were thwarted again. In order to do most of the walks in Kielder you need to buy a £5 car park ticket. The walks are long, rewarding but long! So bare this in mind. Buying a £5 all day parking ticket means you can use any of the Kielder car parks so moving around is easier for you should you want to have little wanders rather than do huge hikes.

Here I have changed the afternoon to include a smaller walk along the bottom of the Kielder reservoir. This will take in the Mirage deck installation, the minigolf at the Waterside Visitor Centre and a short 20 minute walk to Freya’s Hut. Give your 4 hours. It is a beautiful area. Keep a look out for wildlife. We saw chaffinches, sparrows and rabbits!

DAY THREE

This is a big choice of options. Option A will be a huge undertaking. 20 miles is a big deal and should not be taken lightly. You will need plenty of water, food, layers of clothing and perseverance. You’ll see slot of the Kielder installations and you will be tired! We will be undertaking this on our next visit and I will link my story back to this blog when we do!

Option B is going to be a lot easier and so much less daunting. The Minotaur maze is found at the Kielder Castle visitor centre. Something fun to get you alive and kicking for the day. There is a toilet block on site.

From here you can join the Forest Drive toll road. The toll is £3 and gives you permission to drive the 12 mile road that takes you through a dense working forest. Prepare to reach the 1500 metres at its highest point and make sure you stop at ‘The Nick’ to admire the views and the wind chill!

This is a simple day, but with so many pleasures. Visit Hindhope Linn, before exiting the toll road and make the very short 15 minute detour up to the Scottish border. To say you popped over to Scotland for an hour is something not many people can say. 15 minutes from the border is Jedburgh which gives you the perfect chance to stretch your legs before heading back to Northumberland. Use my tips for the most beautiful drive and scenic views. With a much smaller and intimate border crossing you’ll feel like you are sneaking back into England!

DAY FOUR

This really all depends on where you are driving home to. We live in Essex and found it to be a nice plan to break up the day. I’ve not changed any of this day as it worked out nicely. Dress up warm for Sycamore Gap as you will be battered by the elements! This walk is less about staircases and more about shingle slopes. It is strenuous but one of the more milder walks in the National Park. A fairly moderate stroll will have you complete the journey from the car park in 40-50 minutes.

Now check out the itinerary below for your final plan!

Slow and steady, what’s that?

Nearly 9 years ago I was hired for my dream job. It involved itinerary planning for UK and European travel. As I had been creating itineraries for myself for over 7 years prior to this I had the skills needed to get a good head start. The job gave me the opportunity to expand on this and introduced me to places I’d not yet been to. At times I felt I could walk around cities like Rome and Paris blind and still know what was around me. It was methodical. Fast paced. Very detailed and specific work. Since leaving the job behind and coming to terms with living with anxiety, I’ve come to accept my need for itineraries when travelling. It means there are no hidden surprises and I can relax along the way. I won’t get lost because I’ve mapped out the route. I’ll have the postcode for the hidden car parks. Hotels are booked in advance so I can keep an eye on the budget. Food stops and supplies are planned so I don’t get stuck with a manky sandwich and a half rotten apple (this happened to Mr W, not me!). 

In the last couple of years Framework Travel has highlighted these skills to other people. I’ve created a huge number of New York itineraries for clients as well as trips to Berlin, Paris, Barcelona and London. In a strange way, by creating an itinerary I’m travelling in my mind’s eye. I’m walking the cobbled streets of Rome and watching the sun set over the Seine in Paris. It’s actually amazing to hear back how much my planning can help other people. 

Everything I’ve ever planned has been fast paced. 18 hour days in New York. A 72 hour itinerary in Paris squeezed into 1 day. 6 days in Italy to see 3 cities. Every single detail is researched and cut and pasted together with minute details slotted in. 

And then there’s Scotland. 

When I used to plan a weeks trip in London for 30 American students it would roughly be 6-7 pages long. This would include transfers, hotel details and addresses for places like the Tower of London and The British Museum. With our NC500 trip, the itinerary for 16 days is currently at 30 pages. THIRTY. The transfers are: car. But there are 14 hotels all with different check in details. And addresses for places to visit are more grid reference based than actual postcodes. It is so strange. And exciting! 

There will be places we visit on this big tour that have no ‘specific location’. It’s more a stream, or in some cases, a trickle of information found in the depths of the internet. Park at ‘such n such’  layby, 200 metres from ‘this’ pub, walk west for 1 mile, veer left at the fork in the path… and it goes on. We may not be able to rely on our phones due to phone reception and the weather is going to change from one minute to the next. And for the first time in my life, I can’t plan everything. There will be moments technology will fail us. There will be times the weather will test us, this is no beach holiday (although, ha, there are a few we will visit, dressed in jumpers and hiking boots). The food will be dried and revived by hot water from our car kettle. And there will be one, maybe two, occasions where my face will be scrubbed up for a nice meal on an actual plate. This is not going to be a vacation to relax. This is going to be a journey to explore, find and return back to basics. Well, as basic as it can get with an itinerary. 

So far it has taken 5 months of planning, researching and slotting this trip together and the more it builds the more my excitement grows and my anxiety weakens. For the first time I don’t know what to expect and that’s the exciting part. This isn’t the Colosseum in Rome, where you can stand and nod that all knowing yes, it matches the image you’ve transferred from the internet, magazines and tv shows to your travel bank in your brain. Scotland is rural. It changes every day. Different sunlights, seasons and vegetation. But it’s something bigger than what you see. That’s why since our first hiking trip in 2020, my travel mind has changed so vastly. It’s the effect hiking has on you. The setting out to new pastures, the long slogs up hills, the speedy trails down the other side and the beautiful end point. Even if it’s not beautiful, you have reached your destination and made yourself proud! No car, no taxi, just you and your feet. 

One of the more enlightening aspects of this planning stage is how much slower it is. As I mentioned, there aren’t websites based on some of the walks and it’s just the ‘word of mouth’ I can track down online. I’ve stumbled upon some snags here and there where my fast-paced style does not suit the lifestyle of the Scottish businesses. When trying to reach someone about some axe-throwing, it took two emails and a phone call. Spread out over 3 weeks. In London, you’d have an answer within an hour. It’s not that Scotland doesn’t want the business or tourists, but they seem to take it all at a slower pace. I may have realised to avoid stumbling, I just needed to slow down. Take it steady.

This trip is so much more than the end destination, hell it needs to be with over 500 miles to cover, it’s about the journey. Yes, there will be an itinerary. We still need hotel information and addresses, but when it comes to activities and the driving, it’s more about looking around than ahead. I’m starting to wonder whether my anxieties will be left at home. And whether my mind can finally have its deep breath. Slow and steady.