The mobile home at Durdle Door Holiday Park was just the right size for a small bear (and some humans)
My first job on arrival was to unpack my suitcase, which didn’t take very long…
Then I settled into a comfy chair to relax and read for a little while.
It wasn’t long before supper time. We were self catering and the mobile home had an enormous range cooker to prepare meals on.
The humans don’t spend too much time cooking when on holiday. Our first supper was a Charlie Bigham Red Thai Curry, with brocolli and carrots. It was very good for a ‘ready meal’.
The next morning the humans got me up very early to go and see the sun rise at Durdle Door.
To begin with there didn’t seem to be much sign of the sun, it was hiding behind the clouds.
Then all of a sudden it appeared through the ‘door’ in the rocks and was a wonderful sight to witness.
I didn’t look at it for very long as staring at the sun isn’t good for a bear’s eyes.
After climbing back up all the steps I stopped to have another look at the wonderful view.
Back at the mobile home I tucked into some bran flakes followed by marmalade on toast for my breakfast.
Later in the day my human took me out in the bear carrier to Lulworth Cove, which is just over a mile away from Durdle Door along the coast path.
Stair Hole is next to Lulworth Cove, where there are more cliffes with interesting holes in.
Lulworth Cove has lots of geological history going back millions of years, and the different layers visible can be seen. When the rocks were all underwater continents collided and tipped them up sideways.
A huge river of glacial meltwater was thought to have cut the gap out to the sea which can be seen in the photo below.
I sat for a while on the beach somewhat in awe of the forces of nature.
Later back at the mobile home I looked up ‘Lulworth’ in the Douglas Adams book that I have been reading, ‘The Meaning of Liff’ which gives meanings to many place names. I was delighted to find Lulworth mentioned there!
After so much exploring I was very tired and had an early night.
The next day I spent watching the world go by and left the humans to go out walking on their own.
When the humans got back, with tired legs, I cooked a meal for them. I used what I could find in the fridge and started off chopping up leeks.
I fried up the leeks in olive oil and added cherry tomatoes and spinach. While this cooked I put some pasta in a pan to cook.
After adding the tin of red salmon, some pepper and some mascarpone cheese I mixed it all together.
I decided to grate a little cheese to be sprinkled on top.
The result was delicious and the humans enjoyed it too.
The following day it was time to go home, so I packed up my little suitcase and made my way to the car.
I had a lovely few days at Durdle Door, which I think that although the weather was a tad cold, winter was a good time to visit as the holiday park was quiet and there weren’t lots of humans everywhere as there can be there in summer.
When we set off in the car I wasn’t sure exactly where we would end up, but knew it would be somewhere in Dorset.
The journey took longer than expected due to lots of flooding after Storm Bert. I was very hungry when we arrived at Portland Bill, so the first stop was The Lobster Pot restaurant.
I shared a hot baguette with my human as it was nearly as big as me.
With a full tummy I set off to explore. Unfortunately the lighthouse and visitor centre wasn’t open, they only open weekends in winter. It was still nice to see the splendid lighthouse towering above the other buildings with the sun low in the sky behind it.
My first mission was to have a look at the beach huts. You may probably know I am rather fond of beach huts! I enjoyed some winter sun while letting my lunch go down.
I think this beach hut was my favourite!
The winds were picking up and blowing my ears backwards as I walked past the lighthouse to have a look a large monument.
The monument at Portland Bill is The Trinity House Obelisk which was erected in 1844 to warn ships to keep away from the rocks of Portland Bill. Trinity House is a charity which supports seafarers and shipping.
This more recent monument had information about the nature reserve on the side of it. One of my humans was hiding behind it while I posed for a photograph!
After leaving Portland Bill we stopped for a brief visit to Chesil Beach. The sun was starting to go down and it was beginning to feel quite chilly.
It is quite hard work walking on pebbles even in my sturdy boots!
In the distance I could see Portland Bill on one side and Portland Port on the other.
The Chesil Beach pebble and shingle ridge is 18 miles long, I quickly gave up any ideas of walking along the top to the end.
I did sit and watch the waves for a while, though we couldn’t stay and watch the sunset as the humans (and me) were getting cold.
A very interesting place and well worth a visit if you are in Dorset.
The humans told me that we were going somewhere warm on an aeroplane, so I packed my suitcase with my new summer shirt and a cool white t shirt to protect my fur from the sun.
On arrival at Bristol Airport I had to go through the scanning machine along with the bags and suitcases. They should have a special scanner for bears!
There was time to spare while waiting for the call to board the aeroplane so I decided to try on some sunglasses just for fun.
It wasn’t long before we got called to get onto the aeroplane. I was very lucky to have my own seat.
The breakfast in a cardboard box was a new experience for me. Everything seemed a tad rationed, but it was really plenty for a small bear.
I spent quite a lot of the journey looking at the skyscape of clouds, which look a bit like mountains of cotton wool.
After about 3.5 hours we arrived at Madeira airport. The landing was a bit scarey as the runway is short so the pilot has to apply the brakes very quickly, but there was plenty of room left at the end after the plane touched down. The temperature is much warmer in Madeira than in Bristol and I felt quite warm in my summer jumper.
My little suitcase had been packed inside the human’s big suitcase to keep it safe. I waited on the conveyor belt for it to arrive, easily identifiable by the bright yellow strap!
A minibus took us on to our hotel. My first priority was to change into my holiday shirt.
This is me on the balcony of our suite at The Porto Mare Hotel in Funchal. We had an amazing view of tropical plants with the sea in the background.
I set off to explore the surroundings…
Bananas were growing right outside the hotel.
There were lots of beautiful flowers growing around the botanical gardens that surround the hotel.
I decided to find a spot to soak up a few rays of the evening sun.
I didn’t sunbathe for long as I have to protect my vintage fur, and it was time for dinner in the hotel restaurant.
The hotel has several restaurants, and on the first evening we ate in the Atlantida. The food was served from a buffet and all looked delicious and inviting to eat. I didn’t know what to choose. I started off with some salads…
I then visited the hot buffet, and all the items I had were delicious. I particularly liked the way the potatoes and aubergine had been cooked.
It was Portugese night (Madiera is part of Portugal) and some folk dancers appeared wearing interesting hats. I joined in with them for a little while as the music was quite catchy.
I really didn’t know which dessert to chose. They all looked so yummy.
I ended up having a little bit of everything. I did have a little help from the humans eating this in the end!
I was very tired after a long day with an early start and was glad to snuggle down into bed.
The next day the humans went out exploring and I staying in the suite with an interesting book and an excellent view to watch the world go by.
On returning they had some shopping, and for me some Madeiran cake, which isn’t the same as Madiera cake that we eat in the UK. Our Madiera cake is called so because it used to be eaten with Madiera wine. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeira_cake
The next day I was very excited as the humans had decided to take me along on a boat trip with the possibility of seeing dolphins or whales! We set off towards Funchal Harbour.
There is a very large statue of a famous footballer who was born in Madiera near the harbour. I posed for a photo with Cristiano Ronaldo.
We soon reached the pontoon where the catermaran that we would be sailing on was moored.
I got onto the boat with about 100 humans. As it set off we seemed to be chasing a pirate ship! It was the Santa Maria de Colombo, a replica of Christopher Columbus’s flag ship.
I kept look out for dolphins. We did eventually see one dolphin which swam alongside the boat, did a leap then went on its way. It was very exciting but we don’t have photos of the dolphin.
The catermaran moored up for a little while for some of the humans on board to go into the sea for a swim.
I had a little nap on the net with the sea right beneath me.
On the way back to the harbour the sea got a bit rough and choppy so I hid away inside the human’s backpack.
I always like to have a pizza whenever I go away. The humans took me out to a pizza restaurant right next to the sea in the Lido area of Funchal. I enjoyed it immensely.
The lift in the hotel had a big mirror for bears and humans to check whether they have any marmalade or pizza on their faces before going out. I was in explorer mode when this photo was taken, and off to look for interesting plants in the gardens.
I found papayas…
Bird of Paradise flowers…
Anthurium red flamingo flowers…
Bananas with tradescantia growing underneath…
Also lots of these purple flowers; I don’t know what they are – please comment if you know!
Every day we made some lunch in our little kitchen area in the suite.
I also joined the humans for breakfast most days, where again there was a massive choice of food available. I very much enjoyed pancakes with nutella on top.
We set off on a walk along the coast to find some beaches.
In order to reach the beach it was necessary to walk through a tunnel, which was well lit so not too scarey, though the sound of waves could be heard crashing all around.
There was a window hole in the middle of the tunnel where it was possible to see the sea swirling around.
Here I am emerging on the beach side!
Some the beach at Praia Formosa was fenced off as it wasn’t safe for humans.
I finally reached a bit that was safe to sit on for a while. The black sand is odd but brushes off fur just like normal sand coloured sand. It is black because Madiera was formed from volcanoes.
We had intended to walk further, but suddenly came to a sign that told us to ‘Stap’. I have added that word to my very limited Portugese vocabulary!
The next adventure was on the bus. The bus went up a very steep windy hill to a place called Monte that overlooks Funchal.
After getting off the bus we made our way to Monte Palace Botanical Gardens.
The most fascinating specimen in the garden has to be the olive tree that is over 2000 years old.
There is a very large area dedicated to the Japanese garden.
Some of the flamingos were very brightly coloured. Flamingos are pink because they eat shrimps and algae that contain lots of carotenoids. The shrimps are pink because they eat the algae too.
The gardens are on a hill with a lake near the bottom with a waterfall tumbling into it.
I was able to walk behind the waterfall which felt quite refreshing as it was a warm day.
I found several plants that in UK we keep as houseplants. This on is a Swiss cheese plant in flower.
The little bear shaped house is a replica of the houses that can be found in Santander on Madiera.
There was also a wicker toboggan on display, which I sat in and wondered about having a ride down the hill in one!
After watching the toboggans it was time to climb up the many steps to the Nossa Senhora de Monte (a church) .
It was a lot of steps for a small bear
Worth the climb as the view at the top of the Atlantic Ocean was amazing.
Every morning while in Madiera I had a tasty breakfast. I must state that I didn’t eat all the yummy pastries, my humans ate a few. The little tarts were scrumptious too.
I spent a while relaxing in the hotel gardens.
The humans were celebrating their Ruby Wedding Anniversary while we were away. I quietly mentioned this to the receptionist when we were checking in. The humans were delighted to find flowers and bubbly in the room for them on the day of celebration!
The humans had planned a special treat for their anniversary and I got to go along too!
I put on my best bow tie to go to afternoon tea at Reids Palace Hotel.
We sat on the terrace with a lovely view of Funchal and the sea. I opted for an open smoked salmon sandwich to start, which was delicious.
After eating all the sandwiches cakes were brought to us. Yum yum yum….
I left Reids with a big smile on my face and very full tummy.
On the day we left Madiera I had to get up before sunrise. This is my last photo.
I had a lovely time, it is fun going abroad sometimes but there are still lots of places that I haven’t yet explored in the UK!
It was a tad wet when we arrived at National Trust Woodchester Park’s Tinkley Gate Cafe for the Felties Belties Needle Felting Workshop.
All the equipment was ready for us including some examples of cows already made.
I was very keen to get started. I had two hours to make a cow. A human explained to everyone what to do, and we had a choice of using templates or making up our own freehand cow. I decided to make my own cow with my paws.
Felting involves jabbing the unspun wool to make it tangle up. It is impossible once all tangled up into felt to undo it again. I set to work on my cow’s body.
With felting it is possible to join the legs and head on after making them, with more needle stabbing. It is important not to stab one’s own paws. The white ‘belt’ of the cow was added after, by stabbing white wool into the brown wool.
I decided to put wool eyes on my cow instead of plastic googly eyes that were available as I wanted the whole thing to be made of wool. Getting the eyes the same size was a little bit difficult, hence my cow ended up with one eye bigger than the other. I think it makes her looks very individual.
We were provided with some backdrop to sit our finished cows on for photographs.
My cow is called Milly, and she soon made friends with another newly made cow called Maisie and they posed on the astroturf!
Here are Milly and Maisie with scenery.
A wonderful thing about Tinkley Gate Cafe is that they have a woodfired pizza oven. After all the hardwork jabbing needles into wool it was a delight to feast on this yummy pizza.
I do enjoy craft workshops and would like to do more. We were going to go on a walk and find the Belted Galloway cows that live at Woodchester Park, but the rain just kept coming down so we will go another time, and hopefully get to eat pizza again.
I arrived all prepared for an overnight stay with my special bear sized suitcase.
After checking in I said “Hello” to a large gathering of RNLI Bears!
I wondered about treating myself to some splendid RNLI yellow wellies, just like the ones that the lifeboat crews wear, but unfortunately the smallest were too big.
The room was on the 3rd floor which is a lot of stairs for a small bear, so I waited for the lift.
It whizzed upwards and I was soon on the way to the room.
There was an interesting view of various lifeboats from the room window.
I always test beds long before bedtime. This one was very comfy.
I was very careful not to spill any tea on the white sofa!
After finishing my tea I set off to have a look at the grounds. The RNLI college is where lifeboat crews do training and they stay in the hotel while doing various courses. Other humans are able to book the unused rooms. They also do tours of the site but they were all booked up, so we will try and do this when next in the area.
I had a good look at the various lifeboats that were all around.
I love deckchairs, especially stripey ones, so I had sat for a while in this one before going back to the room to get ready for the evening meal.
On Sundays the evening meal at the RNLI hotel is from a carvery. It was all very tasty and filled up my tummy.
I felt quite tired after such a busy day (we visited Brownsea Island before checking in) so it wasn’t long before I needed to go to bed. I took my special new pyjamas from the suitcase.
The new pyjamas fit me perfectly. They were made to fit Paddington, but he just happens to be the same size as me, so my human ordered handmade Paddington sized pyjamas for me from an online auction site (details of the seller listed later).
It wasn’t long before I was fast asleep.
In the morning at breakfast there was an excellent choice of food. I ended up with a bacon roll, a bowl of fruit and a very yummy pastry that had lots of chocolate inside.
Before leaving I went outside to watch crew members being trained. Some of them were learning to tie knots, and some to throw ropes. I think the rope throwing must need quite a bit of practice.
If you are visiting Poole this is a splendid place to stay. The Hotel profits help support the work of the RNLI rescuing humans that get into difficulty in the sea.
Ferries going to Brownsea Island depart from the quay at Poole Harbour.
After embarking I found a seat next to a lifering, just in case. Shortly after we set off on the 20 minute trip to the island.
On arrival at the island we paid for the ferry crossing at the entrance. There is also a landing fee for humans who are not National Trust members.
Before exploring I filled my tummy with a delicious oat and blueberry scone.
I posed for a photo with the bright red fire engine before setting off to look for red squirrels.
The trail for human children suggested doing a ‘Warrior’ pose to strengthen legs. As my legs don’t always hold me up very well, I had a go, and failed….
Further along there was a church with an interesting monument which I was safe to sit on as the hole in the middle wasn’t very deep. The church was built in 1854.
There are lots of woods on Brownsea, and rare red squirrels live there. We walked quietly through the woods hoping to spot one.
We ended up finding quite a few squirrels. They were very busy foraging for seeds and burying them. I sat quietly for a while to get some photographs.
We only had limited time on the island as we didn’t want to miss the last ferry back so continued walking around the paths.
Another photo opportunity next to a big tree!
There is a boardwalk that runs along the edge of the lagoon and ends at a hide. Unfortunately I didn’t get to do the entire walk as we were running out of time.
The tide was out when I got to the beach revealing all the seaweed on the shoreline.
The breakwaters on the beach were a tad difficult for a small bear to climb over.
When we were near to the ferry landing again, with ten minutes to spare, I climbed up on a wall to have a look at the lagoon.
I couldn’t see much on the wall so tried the giant binoculars, and could see some birds in the water.
The ferry to take us back soon appreared. The buildings on the left are holiday cottages that are let by the National Trust.
Once on the ferry I sat somewhere with a bright and colourful background for another photo!
Bye bye Brownsea Island…
I hope to visit again in the future and have a bit more time on the island. It is a lovely place and well worth visiting, though I don’t think it would be good if too many humans were to go there at once!
Growler hadn’t been camping for many years and was jolly pleased that the humans had agreed for him to come along with me taking care of him.
We let the humans put the tent up then enjoyed mugs of tea in the sunshine.
We were having hot dogs and salad for our supper. Growler likes fried onions with his hot dogs. We cook using an electric induction hob which is much safer for me with no flames to worry about.
Growler really enjoyed his hot dog, and he washed it down with a glass of red wine.
It wasn’t long before it was time to go to sleep. Our camping bed was very comfortable. We slept on a self inflating air mattress. Growler commented that such things hadn’t been invented when he was a young bear (he is 66 years old).
The next day we were up quite early for a walk across the moor to Tavistock.
I helped Growler up onto this moss covered log for a photo…
We stopped for a while to watch the sheep. They all had very colourful sploges of paint on their sides.
There are lots of streams on Dartmoor. We somehow managed to reach the stones in the middle of this one without falling in!
After walking a while Growler had very tired legs, and I must admit my legs were feeling a tad worn out too. Fortunately our human was wearing the bear carrier and we both managed to fit in!
When we arrived in Tavistock we enjoyed a mug of tea and a biscuit at Dukes Coffee House next to the Pannier Market.
We were only away for a couple of days but had a splendid time.
Our first brief stop after crossing the border into Scotland was Loch Lomond.
We stretched our legs at Luss…
..and tried on some tartan caps.
After which we continued our journey on to the Bridge of Orchy
Our accomodation for the next couple of nights was the hotel, so we made our way up the steps. For more about the hotel seehttps://www.bridgeoforchy.co.uk/
After checking in we tried out the huge bed…
Nye wanted to see the bridge that Bridge of Orchy is named after, so we set out in the rain to find it. It crosses over The River Orchy…
The mountains behind us were barely visible in the mist and clouds.
You may know I am fond of a full English breakfast. Scottish breakfasts are very yummy too, there would normally be an egg but I didn’t feel like eggs when I ordered! Nye opted for scrambled eggs with smoked salmon.
The humans went out to walk some of The West Highland Way. We stayed in the hotel and watched the clouds go by from the bedroom window.
After leaving Bridge of Orchy we stopped briefly at Glen Coe Visitor Centre after driving through some amazing scenery. The clouds and rain had blown away for a while and we could see the mountains in all their glory.
We had a few minutes peace inside by the fire before lots of tourists appeared.
We said ‘Hello’ to a highland cow before making our way back to the car quite quickly as the sunshine had brought out the midges.
After stopping at Fort William for the humans to collect food, and then driving through more wonderful scenery and across the Skye Bridge we arrived on the Isle of Skye. After travelling past more mountains and lochs and some small towns we finally reached the holiday home where we would stay for the following week at Storr Lochs.
The cabin was very nice inside, and the humans very quickly cooked a meal for us.
We spent quite a while just looking at the view….
Our first outing on Skye was to The Skye Museum of Rural Life. There are lots of croft cottages there set up to show how humans used to live years ago.
We had a peep through the window in one croft cottage before going in.
It looked very cosy inside.
The Crofters didn’t say much though!
The thatch on the cottages was held in place by very large pebbles.
Crofters often used half of the cottage to house a cow in order to get milk.
We were hoping perhaps a human might push us around in the wheelbarrow, but it didn’t happen….
Here we are inside the Blacksmith’s cottage. You may notice the enormous bellows to the left of Nye. The bellows pumped air into the furnace, increasing the heat and oxygen supply to the fire and helped to shape the metal. It must have been very hot work.
We also visited the Post Office and General Store.
The Weaver’s cottage was also very interesting…
There were humans of all nationalities at the museum and it was getting quite busy, so after having a look inside all the crofter’s cottages we left to visit another place. Too many humans are a problem sometimes as they accidently end up in my photographs!
Our next destination was to have a look at some interesting mounds known as ‘The Fairy Glen’.
The Fairy Glen is a geological wonder consisting of a group of conical hills that look man-made but are, in fact, remnants of an ancient landslip. We decided to climb to the top of one of the mounds.
There was a splendid view at the top of the other mounds along with crofter’s cottages in the distance.
On arriving back at the cabin we enjoyed some Scottish shortbread biscuits on the deck.
We were able to see The Old Man of Storr from our deck, but only when he wasn’t covered in cloud. The Old Man is on the Trotternish Ridge which was formed over 600 million years ago by a massive landslip. He is visible in the photo below behind us. The humans tried to walk up to see The Old Man close up, but the conditions were too foggy so they came back down again.
We set up the binoculars to get a better look….
The Old Man looked quite eerie with all the mist drifting around.
On the longest day, the summer solstice, we got up very early to see the sun rise. In Scotland in summer they have about an hour longer of daylight than we do in Bristol. The island in the sea is called Raasay. You may notice a pipe and a small concrete building. We were staying right next to the Storr Lochs hydro electric plant, built in 1952 and upgraded in 2017. It is one of the smallest hydro schemes in Scotland but apparently if there is a problem with electricity supplies from the mainland, this small plant keeps the lights on in Skye.
We didn’t go everywhere with the humans as long walks aren’t really our thing, but we joined them on their trip to Dunvegan Castle. The Castle has been occupied by the same family, the MacLeods, for 800 years. For more information see:https://www.dunvegancastle.com/
There is a seal colony in Dunvegan Loch, we like seals so were very keen to go out on a boat to see some of them.
We climbed into the clinker boat and waited for the skipper to start the engine.
The problem with trips to see wildlife is that sometimes the wildlife may be elsewhere! The skipper was very pleased to finally spot one seal on the rocks…
Here is a close up of the seal, who was due soon to have a baby seal.
After going back to the castle we explored the gardens. Here we are sat on the Dunvegan Pebble, which took us by surprise as it goes round and round like a roundabout.
We had a little rest in a rather strange chair…
I made sure that Nye didn’t get too close to the water as he has been known to fall in.
In the garden museum I found some ancient gardening tools. This bear sized contraption was used to trim the edges of lawns.
There was lots of catmint growing in the knot garden. The weather is very unpredictable on Skye, so it must be a difficult environment for gardeners.
We found a waterfall in the water garden…
Also some interesting purple cones on a Korean Fir tree.
In the woodland garden we found an old Elm tree with a two bear sized hole in it….
Nye was very useful (he has a strong head) and helped me look through the window in this tree stump for a photograph…
The tractor made from logs was intended for human children, but we enjoyed sitting in it.
On the way back to the cabin, after driving through Portee we came across some more highland cows, so stopped to say ‘Hello’ to them…
Back at the cabin the following day, the Black Face sheep had all settled right outside our bedroom window. There are lots of sheep on Skye, the black faced ones are very hardy and able to tolerate all winds and weathers.
We also saw this sheep everytime we went out:
When it was time to go home the sun was shining very brightly and got us all up very early. We had a lovely time on Skye, but had to start the journey back towards England.
Our next destination was Loch Ness, where we had booked a B&B for a couple of nights. Nessie the Loch Ness monster has been living with us in Bristol for as long as I remember, but we thought she might like to return to her home so decided to set her free on the shores of Loch Ness.
We said our goodbyes as she headed for the water….
The B&B was on the shores of Loch Ness, so as soon as we arrived we went down to the beach to see if we could spot Nessie swimming around. To our surprise she emerged from the water…
Nessie said she wanted to stay with us, and come back to Bristol with us.
Nye gave Nessie a big hug…
…then we took Nessie back up to our room at the B&B.
The breakfast was continental style, which was good for me as my tummy cannot cope with too many full Scottish breakfasts!
The weather was getting a bit warmer so it was necessary to try on our midge protection gear, but fortunately we didn’t need to wear it.
One of the highlights of our time in the Scottish Highlands was walking alpacas. Right next door to the B&B is Loch Ness Alpacas, where humans (and sometimes bears) can take an alpaca on a trek along the shores of the loch. For more details see https://www.lochnessalpacas.co.uk/
We walked 8 year old Apollo, a very gentle and well trained alpaca.
Thirteen alpacas live at Loch Ness Alpacas, these guys greeted us at the end of the walk. They roam freely in a big field which includes the shoreline, and sometimes go into the Loch for a paddle.
We enjoyed Loch Ness but had to move on to our last Scottish stopover in Moffat, where we spent the night in a coaching inn built in 1792, The Balmoral.
The Old Stables were situated in a courtyard behind the hotel, and we stayed in a one of the ‘cottages’ in the stable.
We were delighted to find a large box of chocolates waiting for us inside!
In the morning I enjoyed another cooked breakfast while Nye opted for a bacon sandwich (he doesn’t eat quite as much as me). We discussed the lovely holiday that had nearly ended.
We didn’t drive all the way from Moffat back to Bristol, but stopped again in Manchester for a few days, and on the way to Scotland we stopped in Grassmere.
We are very fortunate bears to be able to travel with our humans to such lovely places. Scotland is well worth visiting but it is a very long way from Bristol!
Horace the Alresford Bear 