01/04/2014

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Marquis Sightseers Tour (part two)

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Caravan magazine at Mother Shipton's Cave

Caravan magazine on tour at Ribblehead Viaduct

Read part one of this Caravan magazine tour

Read part three of this Caravan magazine tour

Caravan continues on the Sightseers route, starting at Spooky Mother Shipton's Cave...

Also read: Part one Part three Caravanning advice Caravans for sale

We head north-east from Derbyshire with our Marquis Majestic 504 and join the M1 before taking the new(ish) link road to the A1M, where we begin to pick up signs for the lovely Knaresborough.

We’re here to visit Mother Shipton’s Cave, apparently Britain’s oldest tourist attraction.

Mother Shipton was a medieval soothsayer, whom it is said predicted numerous major events through the medium of poetry – think the love-child of Pam Ayres and Nostradamus.

These predictions included the English Civil War, the dissolution of the monasteries, and the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

We arrive in Knaresborough on a bleak November afternoon, which only adds to the foreboding atmosphere of the weird and wonderful Petrifying Well and Mother Shipton’s Cave, where she was born in 1488. See it in our tour video.

Caravan magazine at Mother Shipton's Cave

Objects are hung under the calcifying waters of the well and are slowly turned to stone by the incessant dripping of the mineral-rich water, including a bike to celebrate the 2014 Tour de France in Yorkshire. It takes less than five months to petrify a teddy bear, apparently. Cruel, but interesting.

In this weather, the cave seems like the perfect spooky setting to ‘do away with someone’ in a movie, but Sightseers’ Chris and Tina managed to contain their murderous intent and moved on to Fountains Abbey. We follow suit.

Fascinating facts about Fountains

Fountains Abbey (HG4 3DY), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is spectacularly set amid 800 acres of Water Garden and Deer Park in a peaceful valley. It had a fascinating 400-year history as an active monastery until 1539 when Henry VIII began the dissolution of the monasteries, positioning himself as Supreme Head of the Church in England and grabbing all the wealth of the monasteries for the monarchy.

Almost 600 years later, the ruins are still hugely impressive and make the Abbey and accompanying gardens a great spot for photographers, nature and architecture lovers and budding historians. That said, you can only imagine how overwhelming it must have been in the 16th century, with its vast cathedral, cloister court, refectory, infirmary and Abbot’s house. The Great Hall in the Abbot’s house measured 52m in length alone!

The road to Ribblehead

Our next towing stint is quite a long one, as we have to take a round-about 50-mile route to the Ribblehead Viaduct. The Majestic tows really well, possibly down to its brilliant BPW chassis and Winterhoff stabiliser. Even on small, twisting and bumpy roads it feels totally controlled. It’s reassuring that most caravans tow well these days, as long as you don’t overload them.

Caravan magazine on tour at Ribblehead Viaduct

The journey takes almost two hours and the skies are darkening as we pull up at the Station Inn near Ingleton. We’ve rung ahead and the landlord has said we can pitch for free, if we eat at the pub. It’s a deal that we can’t refuse.

Behind the pub, the camping field looks pretty sodden and it’s still raining, so we park at one side of the vast, empty car park and switch to battery and gas power before heading in for a massive meal by the log fire.

The pub itself is right opposite the Ribblehead Station on the scenic Settle to Carlisle line, so you could base yourself in this picturesque spot and explore a huge swathe of northern Britain by train. While I say ‘picturesque’, it’s actually pretty dark by the time we’re pitched and a violent gale is blowing across the moorland, rocking the van. Are we mad?!

Fed and warmed up again, we return to the caravan for an early night. As I doze off, it occurs to me that two days of the tour are over and still no corpses! Sightseers’ Chris was on his third by now. We’re slacking!

Via a viaduct

We wake early and the Ribblehead Viaduct slips into view out of the darkness before we spruce ourselves up quickly in the Majestic’s excellent rear-end washroom. It's great for couples, roomy enough for families and perfect for a film-inspired Caravan magazine tour!

Once we finish our photoshoot at the viaduct, we jump in the VW and head north to the little-known Eden Valley.

Another Eden

With the majestic Pennines to the east and the Lake District fells to the west, Eden Valley takes its name from the River Eden that flows through it. It’s a lush place dotted with picturesque, stone-built towns and villages, that almost lives up to its hyperbolic name.

Lowther Castle and Gardens are found at CA10 2HH. The estate is close to the M6 just south of Penrith. It stands on grounds occupied by the Lowther family for more than 800 years. The current structure was completed in 1806 with a beautiful sculpture gallery added in 1814.

In 2010 the castle and its gardens were leased to a new independent charity, the Lowther Castle & Gardens Trust, and £8.9m of funds were secured to develop them into a major visitor attraction.
Lowther Castle with Caravan magazine

The days are short in December, so from Lowther Castle we head straight to our campsite. We’re staying at The Mains campsite on Mains Farm near Kirkoswald. The excellent reviews it has online prove well justified and we pay £14 for our out-of-season pitch with EHU. We have the place to ourselves.

It’s been a long couple of days, so rather than cook in the van we walk to the Fetherston Arms in nearby Kirkoswald – an inspired choice as it turns out (recommended by Robert at The Mains). It’s a Thursday but the pub is packed with diners. The gastro-style menu has lots of locally-produced ingredients and, again, a great selection of real ales.

Tomorrow the Lakes beckon. And we’re due some decent weather. Fingers crossed...

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