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Continue reading →: Helmshore: a family weekend at homeA weekend at home in beautiful Helmshore. I had a few walks around Musbury with Pepper, with the main one on Saturday morning. The deer sightings over the last few weeks have been few. As we move into May, the does are calving so perhaps they are moving further onto…
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Continue reading →: Part 2 of Beautiful Beadnell: Easter 2025We started Easter Sunday with a blast of exercise. Mark chose his bike for a trip out to Craster; I went for a run along the beach at Beadnell. On the way back, I spotted some Ringed Plovers on a quiet beach. There are signs up warning of the nesting…
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Continue reading →: Part 1 of Beautiful Beadnell; Easter 2025Where to begin? We are spending the Easter Weekend at Beadnell Bay where the wild life is breathtaking. I started well, with a chance meeting with my first hedgehog of the year on Thursday night. We regarded each other for a moment before it took off into a garden, without…
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Continue reading →: A mid week work trip; Elstree
No van, but I was working in London this week, and stayed at the Grims Dyke hotel, at Old Redding. Just across the road is the entrance to Bentley Priory and I got up early to explore the trail. It’s a breeding ground for Whitethroats, so I wandered through the…
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Continue reading →: Bolton-le-Sands: weekend with friendsI love the solitude of a weekend in the van, but it’s great to share our time away with friends. Last weekend for Mark’s birthday weekend, we stayed at the wonderful Red Bank Farm in Bolton-le-Sands with our fellow van family, Trevor and Sarah. Our pitches looked west over Morecombe…
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Continue reading →: Helmshore: Spring has sprung
Helmshore is at her most beautiful in Spring. The trees are unfurling their leaves, and blossom is appearing in all the hedgerows. The spring flowers are appearing all over the Valley, and butterflies are flitting around after emerging from hibernation. The birds are in full colour, as the breeding season…
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Continue reading →: Helmshore: a rare weekend at homeNo excursion this weekend, so wildlife watching was confined to the back garden and surrounding areas of Helmshore. It’s no hardship though; we are blessed to live in a beautiful village on the edge of moorland and the wildlife is fabulous. I spent the weekend wandering around Musbury with my…
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Continue reading →: A Hope filled weekendSpent the weekend in Hope Valley, staying at the Laneside Caravan Park https://www.lanesidecaravanpark.co.uk/ Saturday saw us wandering up Win Hill, which despite being busy with walkers and cyclists, was teeming with Skylarks and Meadow Pipits Stopped off on the way back at Watsons Farm shop to buy some Poppadum Chutney.…
I’m Sal, a writer drawn to the quiet magic of the natural world. My blog gathers the moments that shape a week: the first light over the hills, the call of winter birds, a walk that becomes a memory. I write about landscapes, seasons, travel, and the gentle threads that connect us to place.
Most of these moments are shared with Pepper, my ever-enthusiastic companion, who reminds me daily that even the simplest walk can hold a little wonder. Together, we explore the magic tucked inside an ordinary life — the kind you only notice when you slow down, look closely, and let the world reveal itself one small moment at a time.
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A Dull Woman's Van Life 