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Lakeland Break

Friday, October 28th, 2011

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Loughrigg Tarn, Langdale, Lake District, Cumbria

In last week’s Wednesday Wish post, we mentioned a recent trip we took to the Lake District.

wood & rope swings hanging from an oak tree, Chapel Style, Little Langdale, Lake District, Cumbria

We thought we’d just share a few snaps of our short stay – perhaps for any fellow Lake District lovers who haven’t been for a while (and are in need a quick ‘virtual visit’) … or maybe for anyone who’s always fancied going and need just a little further tempting.

a single tent pitched in Baysbrown Farm, Chapel Style, Little Langdale, Lake District, Cumbria

How about this for a view to wake up to?

For all you campers out there -  this photo was taken at the Baysbrown Farm campsite in the Great Langdale valley.

trees with beautiful autumn leaves in the churchyard, Ambleside, Lake District, Cumbria

The seasonal colours had started to show…

Chapel and roofs in the mist, Chapel Style, Little Langdale, Lake District, Cumbria

…and we had a couple of those glorious autumn days with morning mists giving way to bright sunshine.

close up view of moss, Little Langdale, Lake District, Cumbria close up view of a spider's web on a stone wall, Little Langdale, Lake District, Cumbria

Around every corner you find beauty – whether on a small or large scale.

road dry stone wall and farm gate, Chapel Style, Little Langdale, Lake District, Cumbria

We have some very nice walking country of our own here in Yorkshire where we live…

Loughrigg Tarn, Langdale, Lake District, Cumbria

…but Lakeland really takes some beating!

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All Mapped Out!

Saturday, July 30th, 2011

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pile of vintage travel maps from the 1960s

This collection of vintage maps was a fabulous recent buy.

detail of a vintage travel map from the 1960s

We were quite excited when we saw them lurking at the bottom of a mixed box at auction…

detail of a vintage AAA travel map from the 1960s vintage AAA travel map from the 1960s

…their bright colours and fab period illustrations calling out to us!

detail of a vintage Enco travel map from the 1960s vintage Enco travel map of the Dakotas and Nebraska from the 1960s

They’re all from the United States – most were produced by the American Automobile Association – and petrol (or gas if you’re from the US!) companies such as Esso & Enco.

Quite unusual for them to have ended up in a small northern town in England!

detail of a vintage Esso travel map from the 1960s vintage Esso travel map from the 1960s

They were obviously picked up by a pair of adventurous travelers – also in the box were old tickets, menus, napkins, receipts, notes and other bits of ephemera – all picked up along their way.

detail of a vintage travel map from the 1960s showing an illustration of 3 peaks, forest, sun, boats and water

We’ve really enjoyed sorting through them – artwork like this is good enough for framing.

detail of a vintage travel map from the 1960s

Inside, the maps are clean & bright – untouched for 50 years or so. Full of handy hints and endless possibilities.

detail of a vintage travel map from the 1960s showing a mileage chart

The thought of setting out in a convertible or camper van with a pile of these is very appealing indeed!

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All’s well in Wells!

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

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colourful beach huts on the beach between Wells-next-the-Sea and Holkham

We’ve just returned from a holiday in North Norfolk…

boats in the harbour at high tide, Wells-next-the-Sea

…Wells-next-the-Sea to be precise.

crabpots stacked up in the harbour, Wells-next-the-Sea

A lovely coastal town with a busy working harbour, shops and fantastic sandy beach.

house sign on the Sailmakers Barn, Wells-next-the-Sea

We stayed at Sailmakers Barn – a wonderful cottage, full of character, very comfortable and only a few minutes’ walk from the town centre & quayside.

exterior view of Sailmakers Barn, Wells-next-the-Sea lounge of Sailmakers Barn, Wells-next-the-Sea

bedroom of Sailmakers Barn, Wells-next-the-Sea view out of master bedroom of Sailmakers Barn, Wells-next-the-Sea

Around the corner from the cottage was The Buttlands, an impressive Georgian square fringed by mature lime trees…

view of Buttlands, Wells-next-the-Sea

…with gorgeous buildings and dog-friendly pubs at either end!

exterior of the Globe, Buttlands, Wells-next-the-Sea exterior of the Crown, Buttlands, Wells-next-the-Sea

As you can see from our photos, we had lots of blue skies…

boats in the harbour, Wells-next-the-Sea

…so spent long days walking, soaking up the sun, picnicking and shopping.

view of the granery in the harbour at sunset, Wells-next-the-Sea

We watched beautiful sunsets, picked strawberries, beach combed and spotted the local wildlife.

boats in the harbour at low tide, Wells-next-the-Sea

We did a lot of al fresco dining – breakfast on our balcony, fish & chips by the quayside, barbecues and relaxed pub lunches.

colourful beach huts on the beach between Wells-next-the-Sea and Holkham

In addition to Wells, we visited some of the surrounding towns and coastal villages including Blakeney, Cley and Holt. We only scratched the surface – there are lots more places to see, but we’ll just have to save them for our next trip.

heart in the sand made from shells on the beach between Wells-next-the-Sea and Holkham

It was our first time in the area, but it definitely won’t be the last… we really fell in love with Norfolk!

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Campervan Collecting

Friday, June 24th, 2011

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vintage yellow and orange Primus stove

We picked up this fabulous vintage camping stove last week.

vintage yellow and orange Primus stove

It was produced by Primus of Sweden in the 1960s/70s.

vintage yellow and orange Primus stove

It’s a great colour and design, folding up to form a handy carry case.

We mentioned in our recent Bookmarks review of My Cool Campervan that we’re hoping to get our own campervan sometime in the not too distant future.

vintage orange enamel kettle and green patterned melamine plates

We’ve actually started a campervan ‘bottom drawer’ – or ‘hope chest’ – to our American, Canadian and New Zealand readers.

The stove’s now been added to it.

vintage orange enamel kettle

It contains all kinds of stuff – well designed, cheerfully decorated and unbreakable (or at least exceedingly robust).

vintage white enamel kettle

We’ve got kettles and teapots…

vintage enamel kettle, coffee pot and teapot

…and lots of melamine plates & bowls.

vintage green patterned Tefal melamine plates

detail from vintage green patterned melamine plate

There are drinking vessels in all sizes & shapes.

collection of vintage melamine cups

We reckon there’ll be lots of tea drinking…

collection of vintage pottery mugs

…and with all that tea we’ll obviously be eating lots of cake.

vintage three tier cake tin

…and when we run out of cake we’ll have to resort to mere bread!

vintage orange painted metal bread bin

We’ve got lots of cosy blankets for when it’s a bit chilly…

collection of vintage blankets and throws

…and deck chairs for when its sunny.

collection of colourful vintage garden and camping chairs

Will there be any space left in the campervan for us?

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New York, New York

Friday, October 29th, 2010

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illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing Brooklyn Bridge with cars passing beneath it

Our recent post I is for Ireland featured the This is… series of books by Miroslav Sasek.

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing a view of water tanks in a city scape

In it we promised some more photos from a recent acquisition – This is New York.

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing people in the aisle of a grocery store

The book was published in 1960 and, as per usual, the illustrations are fabulous!

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing various types of vending machines

New York is one of those cities that works particularly well…

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing a traffic copillustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing an American footballer

…with it’s distinctive buildings, day to day goings on and familiar characters.

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing a view of a city street lined with cars

The artist captures the 1950s/60s era – the sights and the vibrancy of the city.

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing firemen in a fire engine

We had a 10-day holiday there a few years ago. It had changed a bit since Sasek wrote these books but lots of the unmistakable landmarks and energy of the city were still there.

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing a street vendor selling hot dogs and soft drinks

Flicking through these pages reminds us of the great time we had – hopefully we’ll get back there again one day…

illustration from Miroslav Sasek's vintage children's book, "This is... New York" showing an aerial view of Manhattan's skyscrapers and the Hudson River in a pixelated style

…and it would be a real dream to cruise up the Hudson river to arrive in real style!

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