Beach or wood?

For the past few years, since I retired, we have been lucky enough to spend a month each Autumn in Scotland. Previous visits have been to islands such as Orkney and North Uist, where we have particularly loved walking along the beaches. This year however, we are by Rannoch loch, just south of the Cairngorms and miles from the sea. This part of Scotland is heavily wooded and most of my walks with Lulu have been on forestry tracks.

So which is better – a beach walk or a woodland one? I will give you five reasons for each.

Beach walks are better because:

  1. I spend half my year on Narrowboat Thuis travelling along flat canals, so I am not used to climbing hills. Beaches are flat.
  2. There is something magical about being the first person to leave footprints on the sand.
  3. Lulu can run around like a whirling dervish.
  4. Sunsets and sunrises across the sea are stunning.
  5. I love to see the power of the ocean when the waves are crashing but I can feel safe on the sand.

Woodland walks are better because:

  1. The trees shelter me from the biting cold wind.
  2. The views through the trees after a climb can be astonishing.
  3. You don’t get waterfalls on a beach.
  4. There is something magical about dappled light.
  5. The colours of the leaves in autumn are so beautiful.

There can be no winner. Instead I will relish what I love about them both. I love the solitude of a quiet walk, when I meet no one and just have the company of my dog and a podcast. I love the surprise of a walk when I come out from the trees or over a dune and a world of beauty opens up in front of me. I love the mindfulness of a walk, when I return to the car and just feel at one with the world.

Lucky me eh?

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Which is the best train line in the UK?

Although there are many scenic train lines in the UK, there seems to be some consensus that only two are truly world class – the West Highland Line and the Kyle Line. I have been on both in the last fortnight and struggle to decide which is the best.

I mentioned last week my trip from Rannoch to Mallaig on the West Highland Line. Most travel websites seem to claim this line as the best. It is certainly dramatic as it travels across bleak moors, clings to edges of steep gorges, and across dramatic viaducts. I particularly enjoyed the emptiness of some of the countryside, and the waterfalls. On the negative side, hundreds of fellow tourists boarded the train at Fort William, presumably to see the Harry Potter locations.

The Kyle line runs coast to coast across the highlands from Inverness to the Kyle of Lochalsh. Although it also has some dramatic cuttings and bridges I would say it is more gentle than the West Highland Line. However it has the most stunning views across lochs on both sides of the train, and the 40 minute run down Loch Carron from Attadale to the Kyle has to be one of the most beautiful journeys I have ever made. It was also wonderful when we got there to look out across the sea to the hills of Skye.

I am probably biased by the fantastic weather on this second trip but if I have to choose I will call the Kyle Line as the best by a whisker.

Of course in order to get to Inverness I did have to take the Highland Mainline through the Cairngorms which is also famous. As a train geek I am so very lucky to be staying in this part of Scotland.

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Five ways to enjoy a holiday in Scotland when it is raining

We are staying for a month near Pitlochry in the middle of Scotland. This is not so unusual for us. This time last year we were in North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. One thing to expect in Scotland in the autumn is rain. And this week has been particularly wet,

People often ask us why we would go somewhere wet and windy for a holiday. The answer is that there are many ways we can still enjoy ourselves. Here are just five.

1. Hunker down

We choose cottages with open fires or wood burning stoves. There are few things as cozy as warming yourself in front of real flames. The Scottish government have also invested heavily over the past twenty years in fast fibre for remote communities, so we have good Internet and can stream what we please. This week we watched all the Slow Horses episodes while the gales howled outside.

2. Get out in the fresh air when you can

There are gaps between the heaviest showers, and I don’t mind getting a little wet. A brisk walk with Lulu is great for my mental health. The scenery here is simply stunning and one benefit of all that rain is that the waterfalls are magnificent!

3. Eat well

Scotland may be famous for deep frying everything and this example may just reinforce that idea, but Scotland also has some of the best seafood you can find. This was the freshest most tasty fish and chips that I have had in a very long time. Just what you need to warm the cockles on a cold damp day.

4. Find adventures

Yesterday I drove out to Rannoch Station, probably the most isolated railway station in the UK. From there I got a train to Mallaig on the western coast, just over the sea from Skye. This West Highland Line is widely classed as one of the top train rides in the world and the views were spectacular, whether crossing bleak moors, clinging to the sides of gorges, crossing the Harry Potter viaduct, or looking out to sea. A day to remember.

5. Wait – it will get better

I woke up this morning to this view from our back door. It is beautiful. And the forecast for next week has a couple of days of bright sunshine. I will get out and make the most of it.

Those are just five ways to enjoy this wonderful country at this time of year. Can you think of more? We are very lucky to be here..

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What to you think about salt beef for breakfast?

When I was working I rarely ate breakfast. I would wake at about 0545 each morning, get up quickly and be at my home desk or commuting to an office by 0615. When I got to work I would get a black decaf coffee and clear my emails before most of my colleagues were around. I felt ahead of the day. My first meeting would usually be 0730 or 0800 and I would be back to back. I was lucky enough to have a PA in those days and she (it was always a “she”) would make sure one hour a day was “Pete time” and I got to walk around and see my team or think about things that had come up or I was planning. I would rarely have a proper lunch break but would grab a sandwich on the move.

Don’t feel sorry for me. I was pretty good at finishing work at 1700 Mon-Thu and 1630 on Friday. And except when there was a service incident, I would not work at all at the weekend. I really loved my work and the colleagues I worked with. How many people get to say that?

Six years into retirement, my life is now somewhat different. And it includes breakfast.

A typical day for me now starts at about 0645. I will wake and still get up quite quickly. If we are on the narrowboat I will take Lulu for a walk and get back to make Mandy her breakfast in bed at about 0800. She always has cheerios and coffee. If I am in a house it is more lazy and I don’t get Lulu up for a wee till 0730. Mandy typically has her breakfast at about 0830 and then I take Lulu for a walk before setting off on whatever adventure I have planned for the day. I will often have breakfast now which can be anything from a couple of slices of toast to the flinglish.

On Tuesday it was slightly earlier because my adventure was helping my two brothers in law to move a caravan in the Lake District. It is Andrew’s van and it has not moved for years so he was worried about bits falling off it. In the end everything ran smoothly with very little work for Steve or me, but Andrew still appreciated our help as “insurance” and offered us breakfast as a reward.

We went to a very trendy cafe in the lakes called “Born and Bread” and I chose the “Salt Beef Bene”. I love a good Eggs Benedict and this one was with huge slices of their home made salt beef, on home made sourdough toast and with home made mustard hollandaise over the poached eggs. And there was sauerkraut and gherkins. So it was somewhere between a Reuben sandwich and normal Benedict. That made it a touch strange for breakfast and the beef was certainly intensely salty. But I really enjoyed it.

Do I miss those long busy work days? I certainly often dream about them which must say something. But I have no desire to go back to that intensity, living on adrenaline. I prefer my more relaxed world. And I do like breakfast.

But salt beef first thing inn the morning is a bit of an acquired taste. Would you try it??

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Star Wars Planet Niamos is just up the road

I took Lulu for a seaside walk this week. Usually if we want to go to the beach, we go to St Annes, which is not far away. But this week I fancied somewhere different, so I took her to Cleveleys which is about a 20 minute drive from home.

Cleveleys is a quiet town, mostly populated with retirees (like me) and culturally far away from its sister Blackpool. It is more commonly known as Thornton-Cleveleys because politically is joined up with the ancient village of Thornton. Cleveleys grew rapidly in Victorian and Edwardian times as somewhere for posh people to visit and take the water. Many of them stayed at the massive Hydro Hotel, which had salt water pools and Turkish baths.

The promenade is concrete with an Art Deco styling and that is what attracted the producers of Star Wars series Andor to form the setting for Niamos, a holiday resort planet, under strict rule from the Galactic Empire. There is a famous scene where Cassian Andor is arrested and held against a wall by android K-2SO.

©️ Lucasfilm

This image is often recreated by the many Star Wars fans that visit Cleveleys, dressed as characters from the film. When I was there this week, there were no stormtroopers or rebels, so I found this view through the famous wall.

Instead of recreating film scenes, Lulu and I just wandered along the beach and the prom, enjoying the walk, taking in the fine views and chasing other dogs. It’s a lovely place to visit, even without any cos play.

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Is October a good time to visit a theme park?

I spent a day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach this week. The forecast had been for wall to wall blue skies, but it turned out overcast and a bit drizzly. Nevertheless I determined to have fun.

This must be the quietest time of year for theme parks. They stay open till November so that they can make the most of Halloween, but this week is too early for that, and too late for holidaymakers. Blackpool promenade was almost deserted. There were a fair number of people in the park, including a surprising number of children, given that this is a school week. However I never had to queue for more than a few minutes to go on any ride.

I got to go on all the big ones, including The Big One! I like fast and high rollercoasters, and there were plenty of them. My favourite last time was Icon, which I think is the fastest of all. But this time I think I enjoyed Infusion even more. Your feet dangle as you hang from the ride and it is very easy to lose any idea of where you are as you get flung around.

The new ride for 2026 is Aviktas, but I avoided that because it is a spinny ride, and I think I would have got travel sick.

Instead, I showed my age, and took in a few of the tamer attractions between the coasters, including the Ghost Train, Wallace & Gromit’s Thrill-O-Matic, and the Derby Racer Carousel.

I even went for a wander through the Chinese Puzzle maze. I remember that last time I was here, I got thoroughly lost so this time I tried a particular technique that I know works in a few mazes, and found my way out after about 15 minutes.

At the end of my trip I was feeling a little bruised, especially from some of the older rides like Grand National and Steeplechase, which throw you around, but I had had a lovely time and rewarded myself at Blackpool’s famous icecream parlour Notarianni’s.

Would I have preferred better weather? Yes. But was it amazing to have no queues and go on just whatever I wanted? Certainly. So is this the best time of year to go to a theme park? Quite possibly.

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Why is Pete’s Blog late?

I have been writing this public blog ever since I retired, nearly six years ago. I used to write a blog for my team when I was working and it sort of carried on from there. Typically I write it on a Thursday, fettle it a little and then publish it early on Friday afternoon. So why am I sitting here on Saturday morning?

I could give you many excuses.

If you remember in last week’s blog I was pondering whether to take Narrowboat Thuis north or south for our last adventure of the year. We decided south, but unfortunately after a couple of day’s boating, Lulu the dog had a rather nasty stomach upset and we decided she needed to get to a vet.

We do know a number of vets along the canals, but as Mandy and I reflected, we both came to the conclusion that we were just not feeling it on this last trip of the year. The weather was not great, I was not getting enough power on my solar panels, and it just felt that we were pushing to do another trip just because we have had less time travelling this year, what with weddings, anniversaries and stuff.

So we drove back to our house in Lancashire and took Lulu to her “home” vet here. The good news is that she is recovering well. So now we have three weeks before our next big adventure – a month in the wilds of Scotland.

If you read my blogs regularly you will know that I hate being bored. So I came up with a monster list of jobs I could now get on with. And that is what I have been doing this week. I have booked a “once in a lifetime” visit to Canada for this time next year, including trains, planes, automobiles and a cruise ship. I have sorted a new bank account to cover our travel insurance and motor breakdown. It appears that buying my own travel insurance would have been twice as expensive because I am old. I have bought a new heat pump tumble drier that I am ridiculously excited about. And I spent a day back at the marina, winterising the boat. That means taking off clothes, towels, bedding, cushions, crockery, glasses, cutlery, food; emptying the water tank, fixing and painting the side door, varnishing the window sills and many other little jobs.

I woke up this morning feeling good and preparing to take Lulu on a lovely circular walk by the sea, when suddenly I realised that after about 300 editions of this blog, for the first time I had forgotten to write.

So what do you think? Do I have good excuses? Or after six years am I finally learning to be retired and relaxed?

Nah. It’s just not good enough. Sorry!

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Shall we go North or South?

We are back at the boat and getting ready for our last trip of the year. Most of the drought closures are now being lifted so there are more options. Ideally we would go up the Macclesfield and Peak Forest, but Bosley Locks show no sign of opening. So we have two routes we are considering.

We could go North, up the Trent & Mersey, across the Middlewich and then up the Shroppie to Chester. We love Chester and haven’t visited for a couple of years. We usually moor in Telford Basin, overlooked by the city walls, and near the racecourse. And on the way we often moor near Beeston Castle with some of the best views from any canal. But much of the route is the same as we did at the start of the year. And some of the locks to Chester are very heavy for Autumn work.

Alternatively we could head South to Worcester. We haven’t been that way on the Staffs & Worcester for a while so it would make a nice change. There is also a chance that we could do a loop, travelling back through Birmingham.

So North or South? We could just toss a coin I guess. Either way would be lovely to it’s a nice choice to have. I’ll let you know next week.

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I love walking

With the boat moored up for a fortnight, I have been able to get out in the car for some more spectacular walks this week. Notably Lud’s Church in the Peak District, and Nicky Nook in the Trough of Bowland.

When we are out on Narrowboat Thuis I do get plenty of exercise. I usually go for a walk with Lulu first thing, and then there are locks to do, places to see and my legs get a good stretch. I have an Apple Watch and I like to complete all three rings when I can.

But the trouble with canal exercise is that is is always pretty flat. Water flows downhill so the canals are designed to run along the hill contours, using bridges, cuttings and tunnels to flatten things out. So at the end of a season like this, I have had plenty of walking but very few hills.

So it stretched my muscles this week and I ached a little the days afterwards, but it was well worth it.

Lud’s Church is a chasm in the hills. It is just a few hundred yards long but it is deep. Apparently it was used by Catholics to hold secret services when the Protestant Roundheads were in power in the seventeenth century. It is dramatic, if a little slippy. The walk to get there and back is beautiful, with a big climb, dappled woodland, and fine views over the hills. There is also a brewery at the end of the walk where I got a tasty pork pie and a lemonade (I was driving).

Nicky Nook is a hill in Lancashire. My brother in law and I did a linear walk, with Mandy dropping us off and picking us up. From damp moorland we walked down a wooded valley to a reservoir, thankfully much fuller than last time I saw it. Then up a steep, stepped incline to reach the top of the hill, involving quite a lot of puffing and panting from me, and use of both walking sticks from Steve. It was worth it, because from the top we could see for miles, across the hills to the east, and across the plane to the sea in the west. Then another steep descent to meet Mandy at the bottom, ready for a well earned lunch at one of my favourite country cafés in a villlage called Scorton. I had a burger and a milkshake, and wanted an icecream Sundae, but Steve is on Slimming World.

I do hope I can keep up walks like this through the winter. In the cold weather it can be tempting to stay indoors but I do love a good walk.

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What is the best time of year to be on a Narrowboat?

This week has certainly felt like Autumn. A lot of rain. Chilly mornings. Leaves falling from the trees. It is one of my favourite times of year on Narrowboat Thuis.

I know that other boaters take a different view. So let’s look at the pros and cons of going boating in each season.

Spring is a lovely time to be out in the countryside. The plants are beginning to grow. Birds are having their chicks. The days are getting longer. I love the sunrises and sunsets. But the remnants of winter remain. Towpaths are a mess. My fingers get frozen holding the tiller.

It is great to be outside on those long warm days of summer. Shorts and t shirts. Everyone seems cheerful. The canal is warm if I need to clear the weed hatch. But so many hire boaters are holding up the locks. And our tin can of a home gets so very hot when the sun has been on it all day.

Autumn has a great mix of cold mornings and warm days. We get the waterways back to ourselves. But it is getting darker and my solar no longer fills the batteries without help. And I don’t really like cruising in the rain.

For the hardy narrow boaters, winter is the best. There is a real sense of community on the canals. We are special because we are still out when everyone else is in a house. But it is just too muddy when you have a dog. You end up constantly cleaning. And there are so many winter stoppages for things to get fixed, that it is hard to travel.

I think the truth is that each season has its own attractions, and you can have wonderful boating days at any time of year. We are very lucky to have the opportunity.

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