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Showing posts from April, 2018

Reflections on this trip.

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I'm now home, after a great trip from 21-28 April 2018. I spent 1 night at Balbirnie in Fife, then 3 nights in Dunbar, and 3 nights in Yellowcraig near North Berwick. It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip and my experiences with my Eriba caravan continue to be brilliant. It's turning out to be a fantastic way of touring. It was a bit of a 'wrench' to come home, but, a planned dental examination and a jungle like garden take priority! The weather on this trip was, in general, excellent. Most days were dry and bright, often cold and windy, but I saw very little rain. It was showery a couple of days, but overall I'd say I was extremely fortunate with the weather. I've learnt on this trip that East Lothian is a fantastic area to visit. The beaches on the coast are stunning and match any beach I've been to on the west coast. One difference with the west coast is that the beaches are almost clear of all the fishing related debris and litter, in fact they wer

North Berwick

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Night No 25/2018 staying in my caravan. Third night at Yellowcraig C&MC Site near North Berwick. Woke around 0600 to lovely weather. It had been quite chilly overnight, and the wind had died since yesterday making for a nice morning. Took the dogs into Yellowcraig woods, then it was back for a shower and some breakfast. Left the van around 0830 to walk the beach from here to North Berwick, around 3.5 miles entirely on the sand. Yellowcraig Beach. It's a series of bays all the way, all with nice beaches when the tide is out. The final beach at North Berwick. Had a nice walk around the harbour. Don't often see these in Scotland! A lobster hatchery. Nice viewpoint. The Seabird Centre. Walked through the town, and returned to the site along the John Muir Way. The total walk was around 2.5hrs. After some lunch, I wanted to take advantage of the excellent weather and head back up Berwick Law. It was a t shirt walk! As I a

Eriba Kitchen Tips

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I've learnt a few things about kitchen logistics since living in this van. My electrical apparatus consists of a Tesco Value 2 slice toaster, same brand cordless kettle, and my Remoska. Along with the 3 ring gas hob, this seems to meet my needs entirely. As you can see above, the kettle and toaster fit under the window, of the worksurface, when not in use, and the Remoska fits in the space on the left hand side, in front of the toilet compartment. The little angled 'wall' is ideal for my cross stitch of the van and the mutts, and a handy place to mount all my site 'plaques'. Anorak or what! Tip 1: When you boil the kettle in the morning, fill you mug, then keep the remaining hot water for use throughout the day. A good flask like my Thermos, keeps it boiling all day. Tip 2: Get a flexi bucket instead of a basin. Deep enough to hold all the dishes, and handy for carrying to the dishwashing area. Also, great for carting clothes back and forward to the

Berwick Law

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This is night No 24/2018 staying in my Eriba caravan. Second night at Yellowcraig C&MC Site near Dirleton. Woke around 0630. It was bright, but a stiff, cold wind. Felt pretty chilly after the fine weather of late! Took the dogs for an early walk down towards Yellowcraig Beach. There were no cars in the huge carpark, and I never met a soul. I planned to go and walk up Berwick Law. 'When in Berwick' as they say. I've been up before, it's a great walk. A bit of a steep grunt but doesn't take long. I think I was around 30mins, car to summit. It's a landmark which can be seen for miles. A conical shaped hill. The view over North Berwick on the way up. Yellowcraig (where I'm staying) is the beach top left. There's a ruined cottage style building, and a more recent observation post. An of course, a huge replica whale jaw bone! It's fibreglass. For many years, installed were 'real' bones, but they often degraded and co

Dunbar to North Berwick

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Night No 23/2018 staying in the caravan. I'm now at Yellowcraig C&MC Site, Dirleton, which is near North Berwick. A reasonable total of £35.60 for 3 nights. Taking advantage of the 50% midweek discount on the pitch element of the cost for 2 of the 3 nights. I've been here before with my campervan and with my Puck. In fact it was the first ever trip I made with the Puck! It's a great site. Right next to Yellowcraig beach which is stunning, and a good walk can be made from here to North Berwick entirely on the beach. Got up at around 0600 in Dunbar. It was my last day, so I had to have everything out by 1200. Took the dogs first round the field for a blast. That cement plant pumps a huge plume out 24hrs a day. Don't know what it is but it's got a chlorine smell when your (miles) downwind. After breakfast, I needed to kill some time before departing, so we went a great walk back along to Barns Ness and it's lovely beach. Don't know what