Wingardium leviosa

“The last trace of steam evaporated in the autumn air. The train rounded a corner. Harry’s hand was still raised in farewell. ‘He’ll be all right,’ murmured Ginny. As Harry looked at her, he lowered his hand absentmindedly and touched the lightning scar on his forehead. ‘I know he will.’

I read about Harry Potter starting his secondary school, Hogwarts, when I was in year 7 and we shared similar concerns about starting a new school. Except for whether to take an owl, a rat or a cat to school… I couldn’t relate to that one.

The Harry Potter books have had an impact on just about everyone, in one way or another. It is cliché to say that ‘the books are better than the films’ but, in my opinion, this statement has never been more acutely applicable. The films are, however, iconic.

There is a scene in the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, where Harry and Ron drive a flying car – a Ford Anglia, to be precise – across the Glenfinnan viaduct just as the Jacobite steam train disguised as the Hogwarts Express approaches from behind.

As a happy little interlude to my trip away in Groggy the campervan, my parents came to share a few days of Becky Jo’s Great British Tour. My dad is interested in British engineering and my mum is a fan of the Harry Potter films, so a visit to Glenfinnan was a must.

Unfortunately, we were graced with typical British weather during their visit to Scotland and it rained for the majority of their stay. That didn’t stop us seeing Loch Ness, Neptune’s Staircase, the Glenfinnan viaduct and some spectacular scenery from the comfort of my Ford Transit Autohome.

We didn’t spot Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, though there were some disturbances in the water…

I have been travelling more or less non-stop since New Year and, as a result, I haven’t been able to do any baking which is one of my favoured hobbies. I run Becky Jo’s Bakery from my kitchen but with a gas hob and a gas grill in my campervan, conditions are not so conducive to the culinary arts.

So, in Blue Peter style,

Here’s one I made earlier

Cakes from Becky Jo’s Bakery