Brimham Rocks

Last night when we drove back from Fountains Abbey to the campsite I saw a brown sign for Brimham Rocks. I remembered the name from Britain's Favourite Walks that we watched over Christmas and a quick Google confirmed it definitely looked like somewhere worth going. And only a few miles away, and in the direction we were going anyway. Whoop whoop!
I get a bit obsessed with making sure we'll be able to park at places so as usual insisted we leave at the crack of sparrows. They - my snippy family - roll their eyes at me when we get to completely empty car parks at 9am (or 7am as I have been known to insist on in Craster at New Year!) and just don't listen when I explain that the car park is only empty because we're so nice and early and we get to pick the best and easiest spot.
This morning - in our fabulous spot - we made bacon sandwiches and waffles before heading off to explore. What an amazing place!!
A bit terrifying at times watching the Little Misses climb too high, jump around on rocky precipices, and act more and more too-cool-for-school-no-way-we're-going-to-fall-to-our-deaths the more we told them to be careful!
But it was ace! The enormous rock formations and cliffs were astounding but I also loved the ferns and flowers everywhere, growing out of every nook and cranny; the roots of trees all over the outside of rocks and boulders; the little caves; awesome viewpoints out over the Dales. Fabulous!!
We had ice creams, tea and coffee in the sun before heading back to the - very full - car park, with quite a lot more climbing and scrambling on the way.
Then it was off to Hadrian's Wall. On the most epic of epic drives!! On all the teeny tiny roads between Brimham Rocks in the Dales to Haltwhistle in the Northumberland national park. One hundred and thirty miles of fabulousness!! 
See extras for a few of the journey, including how much the Little Misses enjoyed it!!!
We had a picnic in a lay-by outside Hawes, resisting the urge to go and eat our bodyweight in cheese at the Wensleydale Creamery, and stopped quite a few times to look at the spectacular views. Stone walls as far as the eye could see; several pairs of curlews in flight and standing in fields; waterfalls, trees growing horizontal because of the wind; seven foot snow poles.
We went up and we went down (as Mr K and I kept saying as we went up hills and down dales and making ourselves laugh) and eventually made it to the Hadrian's Wall Campsite. our home for the next few nights.
As the Little Misses and Archie had been in the car for so long I took them for a quick walk up to the Roman road which runs parallel to Hadrian's Wall. We had planned to walk over to the wall itself but the field was full of mad stampeding cows and you couldn't pay me to walk through them! 
Miss E thought I was a bit pathetic but hey ho!
For dinner we set up the cadac and got out all our lovely BBQ food only to discover that the little gas cylinder had run out. So Mr K got the spare out, only to discover that was empty too. Completely understandable as I'd only asked him seven million times to check them.......
He did a good job cooking sausages and chicken kebabs on the hob and we sat out in the last of the sunshine. Gorgeous!!
Best. Day. Ever!!!!!