Walking
At home in England, walking is a big part of our lives, either in the countryside or by the coast. So of course, as we make our way around the world we love to go trekking. Mountains are there to be conquered, hidden waterfalls need to be found, those ruins need to be experienced. In some more challenging places we may use a guide, for safety and for information. However, we usually walk alone, just us and the map and our sense of direction. There are few feelings better than sinking that rewarding beer at the end of a long day walking thinking back over all that you’ve seen. Quaint villages, fabulous views, village bars, classic buildings, you will see it all, the rewards are endless.
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Nostalgia Trip #6: Llanon Memories
It’s about 50 years since my childhood trips to Mid Wales began, 50 years since my Nan and Grandad first bought a static caravan at Llanon on the Welsh coast. Perched on the cliff, overlooking the Atlantic sea, Cliff Edge Caravan Park holds wonderful memories for me, family holidays, fun and adventure. But more than this, the place for me and my Nan to form a special bond during our times alone there together. This rocky shore was my playground, rocks circling a pool created by monks way back when in order to catch sprats and other delights of the Atlantic. Prawning and picking shellfish off the rocks, cooking and…
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Nostalgia Trip #5: Ceredigion Coast, Wales And Dolphins
Waking on our first morning in Aberaeron is just idyllic. Our window at the Harbourmaster Hotel looks past the boats snuggled in the harbour to the cottages opposite, their multiple pastel shades reminiscent of Ireland and resplendent in the morning sunlight. The sound of mast ropes clinking in the light breeze is the only thing that breaks the silence as Aberaeron wakes slowly from its slumbers. Our first wander around town includes a short amble upstream along the banks of the Aeron which brings its own rewards. As well as the many woodland birds we spot a dipper feeding from the boulders and a vole scuttling across our path. There’s…
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Nostalgia Trip #4: Elan Valley And On To Aberaeron
To complete our time in Rhayader we take a pleasant pre-breakfast stroll along the banks of the Wye where wildlife is in abundance and the morning sunlight dapples through the trees. Colourful damsel flies flit amongst the foliage and birdsong is everywhere. Wherever you stand in Rhayader you are overlooked by the mighty Cambrian Hills, green and rolling and giving the town a feeling of independence, maybe even isolation, despite the traffic rolling through and negotiating the clock tower awkwardly placed slightly off centre in the main crossroads. We are again struck by what a terrific base for a walking holiday this would be, and again find ourselves discussing a…
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Nostalgia Trip #3: From Warwick To Rhayader
We have a time commitment to meet today so it’s necessary to take the earliest breakfast we can at the rather excellent Old Fourpenny Shop and head out of town promptly, although first there’s the strange business of fetching the car from its overnight berth. Strange because the arrangements are to park in front of the grandstand within Warwick Racecourse, and as I unlock the large iron gates to let myself in, two policemen sit in their squad car and watch my every move. “Why is that old git in a “Rebel Rebel” T shirt letting himself into the Racecourse?”, I imagine them asking. Heavy rain on the M5 soon…
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Cornwall: One Last Wild Walk
Although we are regular visitors to Cornwall, this has been a different kind of visit from normal, in several good ways. Our visits are by necessity normally fleeting and out of season, so to have spent 25 days here across two visits over the last few weeks has been a joy. Because our time here is normally brief, we ordinarily restrict ourselves to time around the Camel Estuary, so to have had the time and opportunity to rediscover more of Cornwall has been brilliant. Our last day here arrives accompanied by an amber weather warning for strong winds, and sure enough the cottage is being battered and is creaking like…
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Once More To Southern Shores
With this visit to Cornwall entering its last few days, we endeavour to find a further mix of road trips and coastal walks to sign off in style. Our first attempt to return to the south coast is thwarted by a jet black storm hanging above the cliffs and dumping incessant heavy rain, in marked contrast to the “light showers” forecast by the BBC. By evening things have cheered up back in Padstow and the steak and Merlot we enjoy in The Old Custom House pub easily makes up for a lost day. Wednesday May 19th we make a more successful attempt to visit….. POLPERRO By whatever criteria you judge…
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Atlantic Views
Sunday morning brings gloomy light, dark clouds and the threat of rain, the forecast is less than encouraging. By the time we’ve had coffee and breakfast the rain is pounding the windows and gathering in puddles on the decking outside the cottage, and we start to weigh up braving the elements versus staying indoors. The spirit of adventure wins, and we get rewarded on our trip down the coast, starting at Porthcothan. Remarkably we dodge the showers all day, with a cliff walk above the beach at Porthcothan, followed by a visit to Carnewas, more familiarly known as Bedruthan Steps. The “steps” are a sequence of rock pillars isolated from…
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Three Takes On Man Versus The Sea
Our next Cornwall road trip explores three very different elements of man’s relationship with the sea – in fact it’s hard to imagine three more disparate aspects than the three we explore on this single day. Our first destination is the delightfully attractive town of…… MOUSEHOLE To UK inhabitants of a certain age, the very word “Penlee” still stirs the memory of an awful disaster which took the lives of those trying to save others. On December 19th 1981, the Penlee lifeboat was scrambled to assist the stricken Union Star, a bulk freight vessel on its maiden commercial voyage from the Netherlands to Ireland, which had suffered engine failure in…
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Coastal Paths And Tin Mines
When you’re walking the North Cornwall section of the coast path, it goes something like this. You can see the next headland what looks to be not too far ahead, but then you realise that to get to that headland you have to descend the steep ravine and then make the long climb up the opposite bank until you reach the summit of the next headland, from where you can see the next headland what looks to be not too far ahead, but then you realise that to get to that headland you have to descend the steep ravine and then make the long climb up the opposite bank until…
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Way Down South…
Having had 10 rainless days here in April, we get payback on first day this time which is pretty much a total washout. So we get a few housekeeping issues at the cottage sorted, watch the rain fall, listen to the wind, until we go to meet Joy & Charlie for a beer at The Shipwrights as it threatens to clear up. Somewhere around the third sip of Tribute the rain comes in horizontally across the harbour and the pointlessness of an outdoor beer in this weather becomes apparent very quickly. COVID restrictions mean indoor beers are banned, so the day is basically over. Sunday is a little better and…
