We were still buzzing with excitement about our hike in the Lake District when we awoke the day after. We had had an absolutely fantastic time and while the trip had definitely been a success there had been a few learnings along the way too. The most relevant when we awoke the morning after our last day was that we hadn’t organised anywhere to just relax for that day and heal our tired bodies.
So instead of relaxing we jumped in the van and headed off north in the direction of Stranraer where we thought we would find somewhere to pitch up and relax. By the time we had done our shopping for the next 5 days and picked a spot to stay and driven the 3 hrs there we had definitely decided that next time we will book our “recuperation day” in advance. Still not exactly a hardship.
The campsite we chose was near a tiny village called Glentrool which was next to the UK’s largest forest, The Galloway Forest. There was a bit to do in the area but really we thought we would just relax.
It has to be said that it was quite cold when we arrived. I think it was a combination of having stayed in warm cosy pubs for a few days rather than the van as well as a cold snap. The first night we rugged up, ate and then threw all our duvets and sleeping bags on the bed and went to sleep.
The following morning it was freezing! Well I exaggerate, the temperature gauge in the van was saying it was 1.5 degrees! So not officially freezing but close enough for us. It was time to fire up the diesel heater and soon enough the van was nice and toasty. We were actually feeling pretty good so put the hiking boots on and went for a walk around the local area to try and see some rutting stags. We were a little late in terms of the season but we thought we would give it a go. It was a beautiful area but a little strange as the forest was actually a working forest so there were huge swathes of felled trees which detracted a little from the beauty of the area.
We spent the next couple of days exploring the forest by both foot and mountain bike. We decided that while it was indeed a lovely area the fact that we had just come from the Lake District any place we visited next was always going to have a lot to live up to.
Still we enjoyed ourselves taking it fairly easy and once we got the heater going and moved to cooking and eating inside the van we felt very cosy and relaxed.
The area of Galloway Forest was a dedicated dark sky national park and while we were too cold to lie outside and enjoy them on our walks to the toilet during the night we could enjoy gazing up at a blanket of stars. T