Wales 23rd July - 30th

Donnington Castle

This magnificent oak will be centuries old - 300yrs - in Shelsmore Common near Newbury.

We had a great walk with the dogs on our last day caring for them. Their owners arrived back from Canada at 4pm. Relaxed and delighted that all at Crane Farm had had the Sewell care and attention. We were on the road by 6pm towards Newport. Not memorable but half way towards Tenby in Pembrokshire, Wales. 

From Newport next day we stopped in at the Cardiff Castle, walked past the revered Cardiff Rugby grounds. 

Cardiff Castle started off life as a Roman fort in AD55 and has had various iterations over the centuries.   The remodelling of Cardiff Castle was quite something. The Marquess of Bute from 1868 did a real number on various rooms such was his passion for "luxuriant fancy". The family had done well with investing in the Cardiff docks, mining and land ownership.

The clock tower with astronomical statues 3m high carved in stone and painted.

The Arab room - somewhat out of place in central Cardiff, Wales. A more Gothic tone would have been more apt.

Next stop was the National Botanic gardens of Wales. Known for having the the worlds largest single span glasshouse at 110m x 60m. The double bricked walled garden was excellent.

The gardens also had a large historic apothecary building, thought of friend Kerry, she would have found it fascinating.

We were booked at Tenby for two nights to relax by the seaside staying in the Park Hotel, which was a bit of a find. A balmy 24C on arrival. There was a track from the hotel down to the beach starting and ending at the garden bar. Had a good walk about and realising the town was jammed but fortunate that the hotel was well out of it. Really felt like we were on holiday and not having to rise 5am/6am for the horse seemed weird. Of course awake but no urgency to be vertical. Having secured a copy of the Saturday newspaper, very weighty tome, spent a happy few hours reading. 

Looking out of our hotel window

Could almost squint your eyes and imagine you are on the Italian coast not Pembrokeshire, Wales. Tenby has 13th century medieval well preserved town walls.

All the coloured Georgian houses on the High Street are quite a feature, a very tidy town.

And here he is...a dip in the sea in Wales no less.!! Jeff thought it seemed similar to Tahunanui as the beach has a shallow sandy bay which has heated up over the warmer weather the UK has been having. Daniel Craig, eat your heart out...

Left Tenby and drove north west arriving at St Davids. Britian's smallest city as designated by Queen Victoria. Really only contains a few cafes, shops and the centre piece being St Davids cathedral and Bishops Palace. A monastic community since 598AD the cathedral was built from 1181. Oliver Cromwell had a good go at pillaging/ destroying it  in 1658, including taking all the lead from the roof of the Bishops Palace. The Cathedral has been continually repaired since. Being Sunday a church service was on so did not go inside but found the outside impressive.

Further up the west coast of Wales was Aberystwyth. We remember this town from 30 odd years ago. A dreary place, the Welsh version of Brighton. In the intervening period it has not changed.

This is the pier. In an effort to beautify the council had put trees in pots at the end? Of course they succumbed to the elements.

Look closely this traveller had his small dog in his backpack. Was at the cafe we stopped at .

Drove on to Porthmadog where the Ffestiniog Blaenau train goes from.  Porthmadog was jammed with holidaymakers and a tat town. Pleased we had not booked to stay there. Continued into the mist and hills to Beddgelert to the B&B. Tiny village on the river Glaslyn. Impossible to park at the accommodation. So many people in the area being Snowdonia National Park. Gangs of walkers/ hikers. Very foggy, mizzle so not conducive to seeing any distance. Walking up Snowdonia did not appeal, would be a lower altitude version of Mt Everest. You and hundreds trailing up.

Our B&B beside the Prince Llewellyn pub in Beddgelert

Next day we drove back to Portmadog and hopped on the Ffestiniog Blaenau train for the three hour round trip. Oldest surviving railway in the world ( who knew) established in 1832. Blaenau is a slate town so this was the reason for the railway. Originally wagons were hauled up the 13miles by dray horses. Carriages returned by gravity at 1.25%. Life in the slate town would have been desperate, reminded us of Denniston.

Train called the David Lloyd George was a replica built in 1992.

Piles of slate

Little hamlets in the valleys. Hard going in the winters.

A nuclear power station we passed had been decommissioned.

The train ride as a treat for the soon to be birthday boy.... We then drove back the long way to Beddgelert via the Llyn  penninsular noted as a wonderful natural landscape ( welsh hyperbole). Some high crags, lots of bracken. 

Flowering heath on the hillsides, reminders of Scottish hills we had driven on the scanning years.

Misty hills of Wales

Fancy a hillside of slate behind your house?

A slate fence, very clever.

Called in here for drink after our day. Met a Dutch couple who were very interested in our chat. They have many short holidays over Europe given the proximity and price. Kiwis who fly a 24hrs to get here are admired.

Left Beddgelert and headed for National Trust Bodnant Gardens, which are in north Wales. When we last went in 1992 - dear me - it was early Spring. Not as dramatic this time being high summer and a drought. Nonetheless we very much enjoyed the magnificent trees and walk.

Called into Betws-y-Coed, a solid stone town built on the back of the booming slate period and part of the Snowdonia Park area. Lots of folks about.

Downtown/village Betsw-y-Coed

Next stop the Horseshoe Falls which in fact turned out to be a very large weir. Several large Indian families having a fun day and swimming in tshirts and shorts. St Tysillio's church was derelict around the outside but maintained inside. Robert Browning, the poet, had a memorial plaque.

Jeff thought his Nelson volunteer cemetery team would have quite a job cleaning this up.

Fabulous oak ceiling remodelled in 1580!

Near Llangollen is the Pontcysylte Aqueduct on the River Dee. The aqueduct carries the Llangollen canal over the river. It is 307m long and 4m wide. On the go since 1805 it is the highest in the world made of cast iron. One has to admire the skill from those times.

 

Folks pay £10 each for the 10 minute ride. We chatted to the canal boat driver who had been plying the canal for 15years, his father 25years previously. 

One of the brick aqueducts in the area.

The townsip of Llangollen accommodation was fully booked so we went up the road to The Chainbridge Hotel right beside the River Dee. The actual chainbridge has had quite history with floods taking it out intermittenly since built 1817. The hotel has also had a potted history with various booms and busts. We slept in one of the river rooms. Incredibly noisy, double glazing notwithstanding. Midges meant we did not leave a window open. A long night.

Outside our bedroom window at The Chainbridge Hotel.

Next day, Jeff's birthday, moved on to the Elan Valley in mid Wales. Elan Valley is a series of dams that provide water to Birmingham. A clever chap, called James Mansergh, in 1890 identified that the high rainfall, narrow valleys, impermable rock and being higher than Birmingham would be the perfect place for dams. The water is gravity fed over the 70 miles to Birmingham.  

Jeffs birthday treat, in addition to the train,  was the Red Kites at Gigrin farm near Rhadayer. We have seen and heard Red Kites since we arrived in the UK. There has been a big increase in their population due to species reintroduction and legal protection. They are scavengers similar to NZ harrier hawks. The farm feds these wild birds everday at 3pm. As the time ticks by they fill the sky and the sound of the tractor is the dinner bell.

Now based in Glasbury near Hay on Wye, the independent bookstore capital of Wales yahoo!! About to head in to stooge about for the day.

Berkshire 15th July to 23rd July

The last 10 ten days has been a series of luncheons undertaken by us here at The Crane Farmhouse. Was an opportunity for folks for a day in the countryside and given our horse, dog obligations meant we did not have to travel. We have hosted seven lunches and really nice to see friends relaxed and making the most of a long, languid lunch.

Friends from Burghclere - Alan, Malcolm, Celia and another Sandra! Jeff was in Great Shefford Young Farmers moons ago with Alan and Sandra. We met Malcolm and Celia when housesitting a couple of years ago and in fact they recommended us for the three weeks at Crane Farm. Alan and Sandra farm suckler cows, grow cereals while Malcolm and Celia farm beef and have honey hives. Malcolm is famous for being grumpy, especially after he fall in their farm pond badly injuring his leg. He is a sweetheart really. They all had a white knuckle drive here while Malcolm, who was driver, was looking over hedgerows on the way.

The next day we hosted Alastair and Jo who live near Baydon. Another Young Farmer cohort. They farm 650 dairy cows and their two adult children live on the property with their own families. Everyone has a role. They do not get away much and they had never been to this part of West Berkshire before.  Alastair was taking it all in.  Jo has Parkinsons disease and has deterioated since we saw her last year. Just breaks your heart, so unfair. Thankfully instead of raising the calves her role is now to help with the care of five grandchildren at home which she loves and suits her mobility at this point.

Since we arrived in the UK six weeks ago it has not rained. Warm and sunny everyday which we are loving. Have turned the horse out a few times at 5am so as to bring him in before it gets to 25C - 10am-ish. Walk the dogs every day for 1.5 to 2 hours and endeavour to include water for a swim. We get annoyed when we see the above signs on a nice stretch of water. Some fishing club with ownership rights which is legal in the UK. Tossers.  Never at a loss for places to walk and do the odd one in reverse, dogs unaware just very enthusiastic.

Sunday we hosted David Patient and family. The dog, Otto, always likes to be in the photo!

Nicholas is 14 yrs old with size 11 shoes already and his sister Charlotte a button.

The kids and dogs had lots of fun and even though Nicholas is wary of dogs but after an afternoon of being licked, smooched on, laying over his feet Nicholas was more relaxed.

David has been retired as a GP for a year now and it really suits him. Much happier.

Drinks at the Queens Arm pub that evening with Libby, who lives in East Garston. We cycled with her last year on the Channel to Med. Libby is an occupational nurse and her daughter a mental health nurse. They have the opportunity for a one year contract at Porirua Hospital in NZ so may see more of them.

After

Before

This is Jeffs effort with the Farm signage. Initially lying in the hedge covered with Hawthorn. Stood it up, trimmed foliage and touched up the white paint. Made it a whole lot easier for folks to find us given the farm tracks they had to negoiate.

Ros and Stuart from Cheltenham visited on their way to East Harting. They had looked after Jefferswood for us a couple of times as Wwoofers - willing workers on organic farms. They were in good form and very much thriving on having downsized to an apartment.

One of the joys of cafes here are the cakes!  Tea shops, cafes usually have a great range. We have been to Priscilla's Kitchen a couple of times on the way back from a dog walk in East Garston. One of our cycling companions, Matthew, is a cafe cake exponent extraordinare so found a book for him at Priscillas.

Priscillia's with in obligatory dog.

Lemon drizzle cake is highly recommended. (As is the carrot cake)

Book for Matthew

We leave our house sit on Thursday 23rd. We have 8 days break, so we are going to go about Wales. School holidays here so should be the least jammed.  Our next house sit starts on 1st August at Congresbury which is 20 minutes SW of Bristol.