April 16th

I hope this entry finds everyone doing well and enjoying the spring.

Spring is definitely here in the UK, unfortunately the last few days, it has manifested in April showers. But the land does need the rain. And we had a very good bout of sunshine for the first six weeks of our trip.

After breakfast and some writing, we headed into Bala and had a coffee in an old pub to get out of the rain. The sweetest young lad took my order. He asked me what I wanted and printed it out very slowly on paper, helped by the older boy. The young one was so polite and conscientious. I found out later that he was the son of the pub owner and was on Easter holidays. He told his dad he wanted 5 pounds a day. He was so cute I just wanted to hug him.

After coffee, we went for a circular walk around the town and along the lakefront. The wind was fierce and cold. My face was frozen.

Guy led us up to a viewpoint over the town. The wind and rain had subsided a bit. Apparently the viewpoint was an old Roman camp. We failed to take a photo of the hill.

Bala is a market town on the fringe of Snowdonia in the county of Merionethshire. The area is a proud centre of Welsh language. Everyone speaks it here. They will happily switch to English to serve you but it’s wonderful to hear two Welsh speakers in conversation. Interestingly , “In the 18th century, the town was well known for the manufacture of flannel, stockings, glovesand hosiery”(Wikipedia). Bala, with Bala Lake, is an outdoor Mecca for hiking and water activities We likened it to a mini Whistler and imagine it is nuts in the summer.

The rain was on and off all night. Fingers were crossed for the morning.

April 17th

Bright sun shone in the morning.

We got on the road to Llangollen at a reasonable hour. Driving time, 35 minutes.

Llangollen is an incredibly stunning village in a setting that is worthy of fairy tales.

We had a walk around the village and along the canal. Then we ventured up to Castell Dina’s Brân, about an hour up from town. We were in a hurry because we had only paid for 3 hours parking. We had enough time to get up, take some photos, have a snack and get back down to the van. Well as I’ve said before, the pictures can do the talking.

At the bottom of the hill and near to the village, I spied some sheep wandering down a road. I said to Guy that I thought they might be loose. They had little lambs. I rushed down the slope to where they were about to venture into the town. They stood there looking at me as I made the snap decision to close the gate on them. Not sure if I interfered with a farmer’s free range plan for his sheep. I’m sure though that he didn’t want them wandering off into the village. It was my good deed for the day.

On the way from Llangollen to Anglesea, we stopped at a farm shop and bought some food for dinner. Burgers at the cafe there beckoned but we resisted and saved probably 32 pounds for both of us. (60 Canadian dollars). To Guy’s delight, we had homous and cheese sandwiches in the van. 😂

The A5 to Anglesea was 2 lane, very winding, but breathtaking like we had landed on another planet. Huge mountains and rock outcroppings in what seemed like a more arid landscape from the interior, all part of Snowdonia National Park.

We drove over the bridge onto Anglesea. We thought it was the Menai bridge going over the Menai Strait. Turns out it was the Britannia Bridge off the North Wales Expressway A55.

We got in to our campsite at Red Wharf Bay. about 5 pm. The paddock in front is full of sheep but they were too shy to be in the photo. 🐑. I have so enjoyed all the sheep and lambs of late that have been in the fields around wherever we stay. I know the outcome for the little ones so it is a bittersweet feeling. The mom’s here on the property obviously recently said goodbye to their babes. It’s Easter dinner time …………..if there wasn’t a better reason to be a vegetarian, I don’t know what is. On the other hand, this whole industry keeps the economy going here and it has done for centuries.

Looking out to the Irish Sea which we will be crossing next week.

April 13th

We left the Pembrokeshire Coast today to head up to Bala in Snowdonia National Park. We took the Coastal Route, the A487. It was an absolutely stunning drive, on an undulating coastline through little villages close to the water, and then further back in farm country and green rolling hills, then back again down close to the ocean. It was predicted to rain the day we were travelling but we woke up to sunshine which made the day

We didn’t leave the campsite until 10 am. We have been having late starts. We drove the two hours to a town called Aberaeron and planned it as a stop to have lunch. We parked the van at the car park by the ocean and then wandered up to the main street passing rows of colourful houses.

Aberaeron, in the county of Ceredigion, is a newer town as far as Britain goes and one of the first planned towns in Britain. Construction started in 1805 and many of the houses were built in the Regency style of the early 19th century. Unlike other welsh towns, the town was designed around the town square. The Harbor was a port and used as a centre for shipbuilding in the 19th century. (Wikipedia).

The multicoloured houses were a delight and sure reminded me of the colorful row of houses we saw in 2018 in St Johns Newfoundland.

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We had a nice lunch in an upstairs cafe above a gift shop. Guy had a full English breakfast and I had a jacket potato with chili and a salad. We meandered back to Paddington (the van) and carried on up the very scenic coast to Aberystwyth. Our plan was to have a quick look at the castle there but it was a sunny Saturday and the parking lots were full. So we drove by the castle ruin, got a pick of the busy promenade and colourful buildings then set off out of town to Bala. It was a quick looky loo.

The drive from Aberystwynth to Bala went North East into the hills. The views were classic Wales with the green rolling hills, stone built walls and windy roads. It wasn’t that busy being a Sunday and less motorbike riders out than we have seen in other places on sunny days. In Heredfordshire, Sarah and Arch had a name (which I’ve forgotten). for those sunny days when all the riders are out in groups and drivers must be very careful.

We arrived at our campsite around 5 pm, another Camping and Caravanning Club Site of which we are members. I joined before we left Canada. The sites are very reliably clean, with showers, wash up and laundry facilities. As members, we also get a discount. These sites are often positioned in areas close to amenities and things to see and do in the area.

April 14th

We set out in the morning from the campsite to see the town of Bala, get some groceries and go for a walk. After a whirl around the town including buying some Easter decorations to decorate the camper, we drove across the town to the train station where we had a quick lunch in the van. Our plan was to take the train down the lake and walk back. It’s a done thing. There are trails from Llanuwchylln back to Bala. We walked out of the station, thinking the trail would be easy to find, but it wasn’t and there was no one to help us. It was 3pm by this time and it was at least a 4 hour walk back to Bala. Ominous clouds were rolling in so we made the decision to take the next train back to Bala. It ended up being the right decision. Not an hour later, we were into major rain out on our consolation walk up the lake a couple of miles from the town.

That night, Guy had an early to bed and I worked on my blog and decorated the van.

April 15th

We woke up to a showery morning. It was supposed to be a wet day and we decided to spend the morning writing and reading. I managed to almost catch up on the blog, Guy got his diary up to date and did some Sudoku. After lunch, the full on rain hadn’t manifested so we went for a walk in the hills near the campsite where we found some footpaths through farmers fields. It was such a great walk through green hills and with lambs, many just days old, in the fields.

The farmer and son were out feeding the sheep in the fields in their all terrain vehicle. We got to watch the process. They went on to the field, honking their horn as a signal to the sheep that it was time for a feed. One of them took a bag of feed down to the field. All the mature sheep filtered down to the feed, often leaving the lambs on their own on the outskirts. Then of course the lambs started crying because they were not sure where mom was, the kind of cry that breaks your heart. Things got quieter once the lambs were reunited with their mothers.

The sheep below were following us as we walked. the perimeter of the field. I think they thought we were the farmers with more feed 😄.

The past few days have been a much slower pace than we have been doing most of the trip. We have been lying low which I think is needed once and awhile on this long of a trip to rest and replenish.

We are off to Anglesea tomorrow for the Easter Weekend meeting our friends Patricia from Victoria ( a friend from Tsawwassen where I grew up) and Susan from London. I did the Camino Frances with both of them in 2023.

Also joining us is Karen from Milton Keynes, guys friend who we have spent time with already on the trip near Stonehenge and in Milton Keynes.

We plan to go on some walks, see some castles and other sites and I’ve got reservations for us all at a restaurant for Easter Sunday.

Night night from Paddington.

April 9th

We left our gorgeous little campsite in Cwmdu around 9am. I highly recommend this spot. The owners and hosts are amazingly friendly. There are good services and the setting is very special. A cozy nest in the hills with the bah of baby lambs and birds singing. The hills really are alive with the sound of music.

We were ultimately headed to the Pembrokeshire Coast with a one day stop in Carmarthenshire to see the Botanical Gardens of Wales.

We spent a few hours there meandering through the different gardens. It was quite warm that day and so we couldn’t spend much time in “The Great Glass House”, a massive greenhouse that houses exotic species, some endangered, from different parts of the world. “This spectacular dome is the largest single-span great glasshouse in the world”(botanic garden.wales). It has been described as looking like a teardrop on the landscape and it does.

We decided to go back the next day to finish seeing the gardens including The Great Glass House and have a longer walk on the trails.

That night we stayed at Ty Cambria guesthouse in Nantaredig near Carmarthen. We had trouble finding it and I had to go into the local pub to get help with directions. It was a lovely old converted barn. We were happy for the space. It had a little kitchen so I no whipped up a nice pasta.

April 10th – my brother Dale’s Birthday

The next morning we returned to the Botanical Gardens. A bonus of the entree fee here is that it is valid for one week. You need a lot of time to see the full 568 acres. We saw the impressive glass house when it was cooler earlier in the day. This beautiful structure holds species from all over the world. It was interesting to see malaleucas (tea tree) and coffee and cacao bushes. I’m sure this is a popular spot at the gardens especially in the depths of winter with wind and rain, a time when people crave the warmth of sunnier climes.

The gardens also have extensive woodlands with trails through them. We went for a walk up into the hills above the formal gardens. We found a big old oak tree and ate our packed lunch with a stellar view back to the gardens and to the hills behind.

At around 1 pm, we headed to Aberglasney Gardens, which was recommended to us by a worker at the entrance of the Botanic Gardens. It was 20 minutes away but took longer because google girl was up to her tomfoolery sending us off into all directions.

Aberglasney Gardens are incredibly well done. They are a more compact garden than the ones at The National Botanic Garden of Wales and are a feast for the eyes in all directions.

After Aberglasney Gardens, we drove the one or more hours to our campsite called Nolton Cross in Pembrokeshire near the larger centre of Haverfordwest. The campsite is in a farming area and right next to the site was a huge field full of mama sheep and baby lambs. The three nights we were there, we both enjoyed watching them in the fields, eating grass , playing and of course crying for mom like little lambs do. I think a couple of the older sheep were security because did I ever get the stink eye when I stuck my head up over the hedge and fence to see the little ones. One of them was there in the morning too.

The sunset that first night was gorgeous.

April 11th

We headed into St David’s in the morning, a nearby coastal village. We had fish and chips for lunch and then a wander down to St. David’s Cathedral, a massive awe inspiring work of architecture built in the 12th century. People have been worshipping at this very site even before the cathedral you see now was built, for 1500 years. (Wikipedia).

Then we walked the mile or so out to the coast and had a gorgeous walk on the Pembrokeshire Coastal path.

On our way down to the cliffs, we happened upon the ruin of St Non’s Chapel which is fenced in and surrounded by a pasture for cows. I sang to them and there was some interest, especially from one cow. 😂

St. Non’s is “said to be the 6th-century birthplace of the patron saint of Wales, St David, it is named after his mother, and remains a place of pilgrimage to this day”. (cadw. gov.wales). The site was the main place of pilgrimage in medieval times by Christians. (Wikipedia)

The new site of St. Non’s is closer to the cliffs and was built in 1934. It is simply beautiful inside. I lit a candle for a loved one at home. 💜

After an hour or so on the path we spotted a beach. We wiled away a half hour or so there, cooling off with a dip up to our ankles. A few people were swimming, children were in swimsuits paddling in tide pools and dogs were playing in the surf. Not bad for April.

April 12th

We spent the morning and early afternoon walking the beach at Newport Sands. It was a little showery and windy but good for the soul. The caves at this beach are massive. Guy loves rock formations so he was in his happy place.

There are even hallways from one cave to another. It was fun to wander in and around them. I sang a little and the acoustics were very good.

We had lunch in the van at the car park near the beach and Guy had a 20 minute kip before setting off again.

We drove to see Roch Castle but sadly it was not open to the public. We had seen it it on our way to our campsite the first day and thought it might be worth checking out. But no luck.

Roch Castle is a Norman castle built in the 12th Century and “was probably built in this location as one of the outer defences of “Little England” or “Landsker”, as it is located near the unmarked border which for centuries has separated the English and Welsh areas of Pembrokeshire. ^(Wikipedia)

In the 1600’s, it was burnt down by Parliamentarians. There have been different owners and different degrees of renovations on the castle since until restorations were completed in 2013 and it was opened as a hotel. So to see the inside, we would have to book a room. I found one available for the end of May for 368 pounds (675.79 CDN today) a night. Maybe next trip. Ha ha 😆. Well at least the Castle has been saved.

Instead, we drove back down the coast to a village called Broad Haven and the plan was to continue down to Little Haven. We should know by now that any town beginning with “Little” could mean, little roads with little width and little room.

Our original plan was to park in Broad Haven, look around and then we could walk to Little Haven. Instead we made the decision to drive and as soon as we hit the one track road, I knew we might be in trouble. I saw out of the corner of my eye a ways back that vehicles longer than 19 ft should avoid the road. “How long are we?” I asked Guy. 19 feet was his answer. Ugh!

Well , to make a long story short, we ended up stuck temporarily midway down this narrow lane at a turn blocking two roads out of the village. I hopped out, saw we had about a 8 inches from the stone wall to negotiate the turn. Guy tried to reverse but reverse wasn’t working, maybe the vehicle was slipping on the transition of surfaces at the corner. Cars were waiting on either side of us. I stood outside the vehicle near the wall , window down, giving input, “a little more, careful, a little more”. He cranked the wheel and just touched the breaks in small spurts, inching along the wall and we finally cleared it and made the turn without scraping the van against the wall. 🤯

Our nerves were frayed after the experience. A cup of coffee didn’t seem to be the best idea at this point so we ventured out for a walk on the Coastal Path above the town for a breather.

After the walk we headed back to the campsite. Guy cracked a cider and I made a strong cup of tea🙂, and we settled in for the night.

April 4th

What an absolutely fun weekend we had with Guy’s cousin Phil and his wife Becky at their place, Dan Y Bryncoch, in Llandyfan. We were an hour later than we thought, travelling from Cardiff to their village outside of Swansea, due to traffic on the motorway and it being Friday afternoon. Phil brought us in over the phone because Google didn’t understand the address “Dan Y Bryncoch”.

After a warm welcome including from their dogs Piper and Misha, we had a beautiful alfresco vegetarian dinner on their deck as the sun went down. Then Phil lit a fire and we sat out under the stars on that beautiful early April night (that could have been mistaken for an early June evening weatherwise).

April 5th

After a not too early start, we ventured up to the hills behind their house to get a sense of the area and to catch the most awesome views, even one of Carreg Cennen Castle off in the distance.

Back at the house, we had lunch and then headed out for a longer walk in the hills with the dogs, a 15 minute drive away. Tair Carn Isaf is a moderately challenging hike in the Western edge of the Brecon Beacons that offers glorious views of the area. It was quite windy when we were up there but enjoyable.

Our walk was followed by refreshments and then an absolutely crazy couple of games of croquet. Christine set the course which included interesting and challenging angles with various props implemented such as rakes, a child’s car seat, a beer box, and a toy crocodile (that you had to knock off a clay pot). Not your normal croquet set up😆 Unfortunately few pictures were taken because the game required intense focus.

That night we were treated to another wonderful vegetarian meal, again alfresco. Then we chatted under a starry sky until bedtime.

April 6th

In the morning after breakfast, we said goodbye to Phil and the dogs (Becky was already off to work early). Christine and Seb were on their way home to Cheltenham and Guy and I were on our way to Cwmdu, further into the Brecon Beacons to the county of Powys in Wales.

We arrived at our campsite at about 1pm after a drive through insanely beautiful countryside and quaint villages. We settled in, had some lunch, then set off on a wander to a nearby castle, called Tretower built in the 12th century. The route to the castle was mostly on public footpaths through farmer’s fields and these fields were full of new born lambs. It was a delightful sight to see.

After a look around the castle, we had a beautiful walk back to the campsite through the fields and on village roads. It was the loveliest of spring afternoons.

April 7th

We walked up Pen y Fan, the highest peak in the Brecon Beacons. To be fair, we didn’t hike from the very bottom. That would have been an 8 or so hour hike. We started at the Brecon Beacon National Park parking lot. To the top and back down was about 3 hours. Talk about a popular walk. It was just April and there were lots of walkers. Think the weather had something to do with it . 🌞 It is stunning from the top and the 360 views of the area is amazing.

After the walk, we went into the town of Brecon for a look around and a coffee. Then we drove out to the little hamlet of Cradoc to take a look. It was just houses and no markets. Guess folks go to Brecon for their services nowadays. When we were in Cardiff, Guy and I stopped in at a booth to get the history of our names. Apparently Craddock is a very old and very rare Welsh name and the name comes out of the Cardiff area.

Then back we went to the Cwmdu Campsite for the evening.

April 8th

Arch and Sarah came to meet us for the day. They picked us up at our campsite and we headed to Crickhowell, still in the Brecon Beacons. We went out for coffee and then headed out on a canal walk on the other side of town, making our way to the picturesque outskirts of the village.

We stopped for a picnic in the woods.

After our picnic, we headed back to Crickhowell to have a look around and saw the 13th century Crickhowell Castle. Not much is left but it captures the imagination.

We headed over to Abergavenny, another beautiful village nearby. After a cuppa, we wandered the streets and shops, and tried to see a castle but that was closed. We got pics anyway.

Afterwards, we headed back to the campsite and sat in the sun with a beverage as the sun retreated and then Sarah and Arch headed back home to Kington in Heredfordshire. We will see them next at the end of our journey late June. I left one of my water bottles in the backseat of their car so I can get it then. I have another one with the same message😁.

Sorry for this very long catch up blog. Read it in bits. It’s far too long. 🤯

March 23

After arriving in Canterbury the night before, we met Guy’s cousin Tom and his wife Aline at a pub where we had a nice visit and catch up. We hadn’t seen Tom since 2016 and it was our first time to meet Aline so it was great to see them.

In the morning, we attended a service at Canterbury Cathedral which included a wonderful choir. Afterwards, we wandered the insides of this majestic cathedral and then spent some time meandering the gardens and cloisters aroud it.

We had lunch and then Tom and Aline headed off to Lyme Regis, a few hours drive east of Canterbury, to see his mom. Guy and I went back to our campsite to look after our colds with some rest. It was a brief visit but so great to see them both.

March 24th

Our destination from Canterbury was Woodbridge in Suffolk. Enroute, we stopped near Chelmsford at Writtle Agricultural College where Guy studied horticulture years ago. It was a trip down memory lane for him.

Afterwards, we drove the hour or so to Woodbridge in Suffolk, had a look around the town, and found our campsite, Dan Meadows Farm, where we would be staying for a couple of nights.

March 25th

After breakfast, we walked the one hour or more into Woodbridge. It is a lovely little village on banks of the river Deben. The town has a museum that houses a ship in the process of being built to replicate the one found in an ancient burial site nearby called Sutton Hoo.

We wandered through the museum and then went for lunch, and then headed back to our campsite on the river walk along the estuary.

Then we drove the 15 minutes from our campsite to Sutton Hoo to discover a bigger story about the aforementioned burial site.

In 1938, at a country house in Suffolk called Tranmer House, the owner Edith Pretty employed an archaeologist to take a look at the mounds she could see on her property. In 1939, the archeologist found an Anglo Saxon ship burial, the biggest one ever found. They found a shape of a ship (the wood structure disintegrated over time) a burial chamber in the centre of the ship and lots of treasures. No body was found as the acidic soil made for a complete eroding of any bones. A team of archaeologists was brought in. Other burial mounds were excavated too finding more graves and treasures. The ship burial was likely that of King Raedwald of East Anglia. (nationaltrust.org.uk and wikipedia.com)

Before walking out to see where the burial mounds were, we went to the interpretative centre and Tranmer House. Both had excellent information about the different aspects of the site. Then we went out on the land to take a look. All you could see were the mounds and it was up to your imagination to conjure how it would have been there back in the 6th or 7th centuries when the burials were taking place.

Later, we had a great meal in an old pub near the campsite to top off an excellent day.

March 26th

We spent the morning in a lovely little village on the North Sea called Adleburgh. We wandered the promenade, ate some smoked salmon from a fish shop, and then had some chill out time on the beach in the sun.

Afterwards, we drove the 2 or more hours from Suffolk to Norfolk towards Sandringham where our campsite was located on the Royal Estate. In keeping with the royals, we enjoyed afternoon tea and biscuits in the camper. Then we went for a walk through the forest before settling down for a cozy evening in the camper.

March 27th

Norwich Day and walk around Royal Parklands. (Already did entry on this day).

March 28th

We drove from Sandringham to Milton Keynes in Bedfordshire to visit Guy’s very good old friend Karen. Karen was with us earlier in the trip at Devizes when we visited Bath, Stonehenge and Guy and Karens’ old friend Brian the Lion.

We had a nice visit and then dinner out and then watched an episode or two of a comedy we happened upon since arriving in the UK called Friday Night Dinner”. We had some laughs!

March 29th

In the morning, Karen drove us the 1.5 hours or more (traffic) to Wisley Gardens, one of the Royal Horticultural Society gardens in the UK. When we arrived we were greeted by a grove of fluffy pink ornamental cherries at the entrance. It was awesome. We had a picnic on the lawns followed by a few hours of wandering some of the 240 acres of gardens. RHS Wisley is the second most visited paid gardens in the UK and well worth a visit.

March 30th.

We visited Aspley Guise this day, the village where Guy’s mom Anne grew up and where she and Hugh raised their family for many years. The intention of the visit was to go to visit her grave. When we planned to visit Karen and go to Aspley Guise, we had no idea it was Mother’s Day ( it’s celebrated in May at home) on the Sunday of that weekend. Very serendiptitous.

After a meal at the Anchor Pub in Aspley Guise, we walked to the graveyard across the street from the church and spent some time there honouring Guy’s mom. Her ashes were brought back from Canada a couple of years before to lie with her mother. We did a bit of weeding and placed some flowers on the grave and Guy said some words. It is a beautiful graveyard, and ever more so that spring day as the sun sparkled through the leaves of the trees that fluttered gently in the breeze.

We walked the streets of Aspley Guise and saw Aspley House, the old manor that Anne’s descendants used to own and the only home she knew until 10 years old or so. The house is very large as are the beautiful grounds that surround it. I took a very quick photo as I was told by Guy’s sister that the property had security now.

Afterwards, Guy showed us the house he spent many years at, Chernocke House. What a lovely old pink thatched cottage. With the rod iron gate, it looked rather posh.

Guy walked us around the gorgeous little village pointing out where the butcher used to be and the sweet shop, the baker and the news agent. All these little places are gone now and the community must shop further away in the village of Woburn Sands, just down the way or in the bigger centre of Milton Keynes.

Guy also took us through Aspley Woods, an area that he used to walk in with his family as a child. The woods have changed greatly over the years with tree thinning obviously having occurred leaving young trees, sandy soil and little undercover. Guy was sad about this change.

We cheered up later at Karen’s with a simple scrambled egg and toast dinner followed by 6 episodes of “Friday Night Dinner”.

All in all, it was a very good day.

March 30th

Up early, we had a short walk over to Karen’s allotment garden. I was impressed by the size and the potential to grow a lot of food and flowers. As usual on a trip like this during the planting and growing season, I experience horticultural envy. There is no cure but to buy plants and work in the garden so will have to wait until home.

We were sad to say goodbye to Karen after a wonderful couple of days with her. We set off to Herefordshire, mid morning, to see my old friends Sarah and Arch in a town called Kington on the Welsh border. Sarah and I worked together years ago at Capers in West Vancouver. We became friends and in 1997 cycled the Oregon Coast together from Southern Washington State to Northern California.

We arrived at our campsite “Fleece Meadows” in Kington around 3 pm. We set up camp and then Sarah and Arch came down the hill from their house to greet us. We walked around the town a bit and then to the pub for a pint and then had the sweet walk up through the old village to their home for a fantastic vegetarian meal. Later, Sarah navigated us back down the hill in the dark in the direction of our campground. It was a wonderful reunion of friends.

April 1st

We woke up to another day of sunshine. We have been so lucky with the weather since we arrived here in The UK February 28th.

Sarah and Arch took us to the hills above their village to explore the woods and gardens. It was a lovely day walking through the woodlands overlooking Kington and spending time in the Hergest Croft Gardens. We even had a picnic. Yes, it’s warm enough for picnics in the UK.

After a great day out, we enjoyed a delicious meal at the local Thai restaurant. Then we walked back to the campsite for a good nights sleep.

April 2nd

Sarah and Arch picked us up in the morning at the campsite for a days outing to the local town Haye on Wye. We tripped about the town, looking in thrift stores, book stores, art galleries, guitar shop, visited the castle and had lunch out. Haye on Wye is known for being the largest second hand bookshop centre in the world. It also has a yearly festival that brings writers and readers together called the Hay Festival which happens this year late May into June.

On the way back to Kington, we visited a 650 year old oak tree that Arch knew about on some random road.

That night, Sarah and Arch had us over to their house for a wonderful vegetarian meal. And then we walked back to the Burton Hotel where they had generously treated us to a night’s stay as a break from the camper.

April 3

We got up and had the complimentary breakfast at the Burton Hotel. Then we got ready to leave for Cardiff via Tintern Abbey. Sarah and Arch walked down the hill from their home to wave us off after a great visit. They took some pictures of our departure. We were going to miss them.

We arrived in Tintern Abbey around 10:30 am after a very picturesque drive along the River Wye. The Abbey rests on the banks of the river. It is a stunning ruin.

Tintern Abbey dates back to 1131 founded by Cistercian monks (branch of Roman Catholic Benedictine monks). In 1269, the humble wooden church was replaced by a massive Gothic masterpiece. In 1536, the abbey went into ruin. King Henry VIII had a mandate to dissolve all the monasteries and Tintern was one of them. (cad.gov.wales)

There are 70,000 visitors to Tintern per year. While we were there, there was a maximum of 15 people touring the abbey. We were lucky to be there in a less busy season with the sun shining.

In 1798 William Wordsworth wrote the poem “Lines Written a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, On Revisiting The Banks On The Wye” 5 years after his first visit. (Wikipedia). The words of the poem ring true for this incredible natural landscape.

“How oft, in spirit, have I turned to thee , O sylvan Wye! thou wanderer thro the woods, How often has my spirit turned to thee!”(bbc.co.uk)

After the peaceful time at the Abbey, we got back on the picturesque road above the River Wye and ultimately joined the motorway down to Cardiff. We were staying at Guy’s sister Diana’s friend Su Turney. Once we arrived and settled in a bit, Su served a lunch of beautiful salads, cheese and bread.

Su presently has four dogs in her care. She does the good work of fostering rescue dogs, many of them from Spain. Two of the dogs, Hoo Hoo and Freya are her own. She very recently adopted Freya. Luna, one of the other two dogs, has recently been adopted out to a family. And dear old Linda is still waiting for a home.

After a late lunch and a catch up, we took the dogs for a walk in her neighborhood over to a park. It was fun to be with dogs as I’ve been missing our little dog Ammba at home.

Later, we did laundry, had afternoon tea, a lovely vegetarian dinner, and an early to bed.

April 4th

Guy and I spent the morning at Cardiff Castle which is in walking distance of Su’s place, about 40 minutes.

This site was a 3d century Roman Fortification and later in the 11th century, a Norman Castle possibly commissioned by William the Conqueror.

The best part of the visit to the Castle was going into the bunker underneath the stone wall. It was a place where Cardiff citizens could hide during WWII. As soon as we walked in, our presence triggered an audio presentation that started with Winston Churchill announcing Britain was at war. Then sounds of aircraft and bombings were heard as if it was happening outside the bunker in real life. As we walked along the long bunker, Vera Lynn, an iconic voice of the time, came on singing We’ll Meet Again. The whole presentation was well done and something we weren’t expecting to experience at Cardiff Castle.

After our tour of the castle and the grounds, we wandered back to Su’s place. On the way, near the castle was the Animal Wall, a series of stone animal sculptures,that were commissioned by owners of the castle. Work began on the animals in the 1890’s. Over the years, the animals have been cleaned and restored and moved now to Bute St. They are a landmark of Cardiff. Here are just a few of them.

Once back at Su’s, we had lunch and then said our goodbyes to Su and the dogs. It was a short visit but a really lovely connection. We hope Su will come to Canada with Guy’s sister Diana in the next years.

By 3pm, we were on the road to Llandyfan near Swansea to see cousin number 3.

March 22nd

We woke up at our B and B, Flavian House, in Chichester, and started the day with a great breakfast and a chat with our gracious host Claire. Then we headed off to Chichester Cathedral and a walk around Chichester. I couldn’t go to England without spending a bit of time in this town. My aunt and uncle used to go there for weeks at a time. It’s is a lovely town and the cathedral is stunning.

Chichester Cathedral was founded in 1075 and is of both Gothic and Norman styles. It also has the 3 d largest spire in England and ”it is the only spire from a medieval English cathedral that is visible from the sea.” (Wikipedia)

After a very short but pleasant few hours in Chichester, we hurried to Portsmouth so Guy could see HMS Victory before we headed to Canterbury. We were lucky to get there because google girl was up to her trickery again and we did a couple of circles in the downtown area of Portsmouth. We finally found a place to park about a mile away from the Dockyard where HMS Victory was dry docked. I was going to go in with Guy and see the exhibition. We went through security at the front gate and our bags were checked. Peculiarly, Guy had his drone detained because it was a security risk because the area was part of the Naval base. Boy, are they paranoid? 😄 Once at the ticket area, we saw the price , 32 pounds, and I decided not to go in because it wasn’t on my bucket list of have to sees. The drone and I went for a walk along the Harbor.

The HMS Victory is a British naval ship that was commissioned in 1758 and first floated in 1765. Apparently over 6000 mainly oak trees were used in the production of the HMS Victory. The ship had 104 guns and has been in service for 247 years. It was a support in many conflicts including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. (Wikipedia)

Once Guy was finished his tour, we walked back to the car and made the 3 hour journey to Canterbury to meet Guy’s relatives.

I’m skipping forward 10 days to write a more current entry. Then I’ll go back 10 days to March 18th and briefly (will try) to let you know what we have been up to.

March 27 – Thursday

We are in Norfolk in Sandringham camping at The Sandringham Camping and Caravanning Site. We arrived yesterday afternoon (March 27th)to this lovely site in the countryside that is actually on the Royal Lands. Today, we backtracked to Norwich for a few hours and saw Norwich Cathedral. What a spectacular masterpiece of architecture built between 1096 and 1145.

Afterwards, it was lunch time. We chose a 16th century little cafe, tudor style, on the corner. It had great coffee and quiche. We chatted with the server. He was in his early 20’s and had finished film school in Norwich recently. Film is his passion and he is moving to London soon for more opportunity. We got his name and said that we’d watch for him in the coming years at the Oscars. His name is Jack Hollingsworth.

Afterwards, we just wandered the streets for a couple of hours.

We enjoyed our short time in Norwich. It is definitely a place I would come back to for longer if I had a chance.

We drove the one hour plus back to Sandringham threw the kettle on and had a quick cup of tea/ ovaltine break. Then we ventured out on the trails near our campsite in the Royal Park Lands. This area is where the Royal family have some of their holidays and where they usually celebrate Christmas. The estate and gardens are not available for

public viewing until April. The woodlands are a mix of scotch pine and oak mixed with some beech with a ribbon of rhododendrons throughout.

We made it back to the campsite just before dusk and had a meal of french fries (there was a chippy food truck on the site tonight) left over tuna fish pasta, salad and braised rapini. Spent the evening writing and sudokuing. Life is good

Catching up:

March 17th -Monday

On the way from the Lost Gardens of Heligan to Tavistock, I took this photo that very much resembles the feel of this area, a farmer on his tractor with the beautiful green fields all around and the ocean off in the distance.

March 18 – Tuesday

We walked into Tavistock the one hour or more along country roads and then on the moors by a creek. It was very pastoral and pretty

Tavistock is designated a UNESCO world Heritage Mining site. As well , Sir Francis Drake was born nearby in 1542. We visited the local museum, St Eustachius church, the market and then walked the canal. It was a fun day.

Wish we’d taken more pictures of the town.

March 19th –Wednesday

We got up early and headed Plymouth way. Guy wanted to go see the place he started his horticultural career at Endsleigh Gardens in his late teens. He was utterly gobsmacked at the size and scope of this nursery. The only thing he recognized was some barb wire on a pole outside in the parking lot. When he was there, it was a small garden centre with greenhouses, plants and hard landscaping materials and pots and seeds. Now, it’s a total mega store with home decor, clothing, gift shop, food shop, cafe, and more. It took 10 minutes walking through the store to get to the check out. Guy couldn’t relate to the store. The old family run feel is gone. It was another anywhereville.

We got on a lesser A road afterwards, care of google girl, and once we righted ourselves, headed down to Newton Ferrers, still in Devon. Guy’s parents Hugh and Anne used to live in this unique little village on the English Channel. Guy and some of his siblings spent time there too in their later teens and 20’s.

We camped that night at Charmouth in Dorset, near Lyme Regis, positioned to visit Guy’s Aunt Ursula the next day.

March 20th – Thursday

We spent the morning in Lyme Regis. The sun was out and the promenade was bustling. We wandered to the far end and Guy had time at Monmouth Beach looking for fossils. This area is known as the Jurassic Coast that stretches 96 miles from East Devon to Dorset. The geological history of this area spans 185 million years. Erosion has cause layers of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods to be exposed and “The fossils found in abundance along this coastline provide evidence of how animals and plants evolved in this region.” (Wikipedia). People flock to the area for fossil hunting as well as surf and sun.

After the morning on the beach, we went and visited Guy’s Aunt Ursula at 2pm. It was 2 days shy of her 96 birthday so we took a nice bouquet of orange tulips. Guy also gave her an ammonite fossil that he found earlier. She lives at the top of Lyme Regis in a lovely area with a sunny aspect overlooking green space. We had a nice visit and it was so good to see her.

March 21 – Friday

We spent a couple of hours in the morning at Charmouth beach, near Lyme Regis. I went for a walk and Guy continued the fossil search. The Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre is nearby to learn more about the coast, its history and fossils that have been found. There are interpreters to help with your fossil search and help identify your finds. Guy was excited about a little belamnite fossil. To his disappointment, the interpreter informed him it was a piece of flint. 🙁 We bought a small fossil as a memory of the area.

After a quick parking lot lunch in the van, we made the hour or more drive to Corfe Castle. We were full of anticipation as we walked the 20 minutes or so up from the visitors centre where we parked. We both wanted to see the castle since watching the movie “Nuts of May”, a Mike Leigh film from the 1970’s. The castle ruins looming up above on the hill was an amazing sight.

Corfe Castle was built by William the Conquerer after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is one of 36 castles built in England by him between 1066 – 1087. It was ruined in the 1600’s by Parliamentarians acting against any royal strongholds. Now, owned by the National Trust, it is a wonderful place to visit steeped in a long and tumultuous history.

That night, we drove to Chichester through Friday night rush hour along the south coast arriving to our B and B in the dark. We were taking a break from the camper. Our host graciously gave us a ride to a local pub for dinner and then we had an early night. We love the camper and it’s very warm and comfortable but a break once and awhile is appreciated.

March 16th – Sunday

To finish up the day after deleting it last blog, after Land’s End, we headed to Porthcurno and the Minack Theatre. After browsing online about this area in the planning of the trip, I came across some info about this intriguing outdoor theatre build on the rocks near Porthcurno, Cornwall. I decided I would like to see it even if the theatre season had not started yet. We arrived at Porthcurno and first checked out the beach there. It’s stunning. Apparently it’s one of the most photographed beaches in Europe. We were so lucky to see it in its natural beauty with few people around. Give it a few months and the beach will be packed.

Once at the beach, we realized we could hike up the cliffs to the Minack. The views up top were magnificent out to the Atlantic.

When we finally got up to the theatre, much to our disappointment, it had just closed at 4 pm. We thought we might come back in the morning but we already had the next day planned. So we vowed the next time back to England, we would come back to the Minack Theatre and maybe even see a play. Here is a picture off the internet. We couldn’t get in to even take a picture as the area is secured at night.

You can see why it is a must see. And apparently the subtropical gardens on site are worth the visit in their own right. The theatre has a very interesting beginning, the vision of one woman Rowena Cade. Here’s a link that is well worth a read: https://minack.com/our-story

March 17 – Monday

We got up this morning at our idealic little campsite in Truro called Come to Good Farm. There were dogs and chickens and sheep in the fields nearby. The facilities were perfectly adequate and we had a great sleep.

Before we left, the owner of the campsite told us to check out an old Quaker meeting house across the street from 1710. It had its thatched roof redone last year and apparently is having new windows and other upgrades. Imagine, people of the Quaker faith have been meeting in that spot for 300 years or more.

We carried on that day to The Lost Gardens of Heligan. Another amazing story is at the heart of these huge gardens in Cornwall.

The gardens were developed over time since 1766. They were in their prime when WWI broke and the workforce of 13 men who tended the gardens took up the call. Only 4 returned from the war so the garden went into decline. During WWII, the manor was used as a base for American troops. After that, the property was tenanted out and later sold off. During this time, the gardens were languishing. In the 1990’s, efforts began to salvage the gardens and improvements are ongoing. The property is roughly divided into “Productive Gardens” including the Kitchen Garden, Melon Yard and Flower Gardens, “Pleasure Gardens”of a more aesthetic nature, and “The Jungle”, full of palms and ferns and banana plants to name a few. (The Lost Gardens of Heligan Guidebook).

We were at the gardens in March so very little was in bloom. Massive groves of rhodos were starting to flower. The bones of the garden are amazing and one can only imagine its beauty in the later spring and summer. We had a lovely long chilly walk through some of the 200 acres of estate.

After a good 4 hours at the garden, we made our way to Devon to the Tavistock Camping and Caravanning Club Site for the night. The winds were picking up and we were happy to be in our cozy heated van.

March 14 – Friday

We got up and had a leisurely morning at Lane End Farm just 10 miles or so outside Bideford in the countryside. Except for one other camper, we were the only ones at this pleasant little site. The people that ran the campsite didn’t even make an appearance.

We made our way to the little coastal village of Westward Ho! near Bideford in Devon on the Atlantic Ocean. The name for this village was inspired by a novel published by Charles Kingsley in 1955 that takes place in Bideford. The locals took the name of Westward Ho! for the first Ho! tel in the area and, for the town name as a tourist draw for Victorian holiday makers. (Wikipedia)

We had a nice long walk on the mudflats in the sunshine. It was beautiful.

Then we went into Bideford to load up on some supplies and made our way back to our campsite before dusk. When we arrived, there was no one else at our campsite and we had it all to ourselves. The stars were out and it was cold so we were glad for our heater that night.

March 15 – Saturday

We said goodbye to Lane End Farm on this sunny March morning after a little walk in the garden. The mass of hellebores were in bloom and in the back of the garden, the daffodils were cheerfily blowing in the wind.

About 9am, we got on the road to Bude.

Bude is a lovely little maritime town with loads of history. We started out at the Bude museum learning about the history of the community and its long stint as a producer of sand for inland agriculture. We also learned about it’s maritime past and the number of shipwrecks that occured outside in the open water around Bude Bay. Bude is another town popular for tourists and those involved in water sports like surfing. Down on the harbor are those cute little beach shacks that are either short or long term rental. They are in a lot of resort towns in the area.

In the afternoon, we visited Tintagel Castle, a fascinating English Heritage site by the sea. Between the 5th and 7th century, it was likely a stronghold for Cornish Kings. Then in the 1100’s, a book was written called “History of the Kings of Britain”and mused that this site was the place where King Arthur was born. Inspired by this idea, Richard, Earl,of Cornwall built the castle in 1230 ‘s and the King Arthur legends continue. As the English Heritage site says, “History and legend are inseparable at Tintagel.”

We planned to go to Port Isaac, Cornwall that day as well but it proved to be too much time wise. We made a plan to go back in the morning which meant retracing our steps but agreed it was worth it.

We headed to St. Agnes (Cornwall) and Cross Coombe Farm, a lovely family run terraced campsite with a view to the western sky. The sunset was beautiful.

March 16 – Sunday

We got up early and pointed the van in the direction of Doc Martin country, Port Isaac. In the series, Port Isaac is known as Port Wenn.

I think the pictures will do the talking:

Port Isaac was the set for many years for Doc Martin filming. Hopefully now the village has a bit of peace but I fear not. We talked to a girl at a shop and she said we came at the right time of year. Apparently in the summer it is wall to wall people.

After Port Isaac, we motored down to Land’s End near Penzance. We had a walk around the cliffs and got a sense of the history of the area. Land’s End is the most westerly point in England. The most westerly point in Great Britain prize goes to a place in the Scottish Highlands.

After Land’s End, we go on to Porthcurno. I will resume later. I just mistakingly deleted the rest of this post. Having to do the blog on my phone now as the battery on my new computer packed it in. We need to find a computer shop to fix it.

Still trying to catch up on the blog. Just 10 days behind😳We are both down with colds too. Boo Hoo!

More later.

We are in Suffolk now. Went to Sutton Hoo yesterday, an Anglo Saxon Burial site. It was super interesting.

Continue reading →

March 10 – Monday

After a great weekend up in Manchester, we were back at Christine and Seb’s for another day. The plan was to pick up the rental van from M5 Leisure in Cheltenham and think about kitting it out a bit for the journey.

I was carrying some anxiety about this part of the trip mainly due to the roads and driving. Guy learned to drive in England 48 years ago approximately. He drove here for about five years before he came to Canada May 28, 1982. He has never driven in England since. I was hoping it would all come back to him and feel natural. He said he felt like he didn’t remember much about driving here and was starting fresh. Ugh! While we were with Christine, she did all the driving and Guy focused on observing how the roads worked here. I kept saying that he should drive a bit in Christine’s car but he said “nope, I’ll just get in the day we pick up the rental and make it happen.” Ugh again!!!

Christine drove us to M5 Leisure for 2pm. Sitting outside the office, waiting for us, was our shiny ruby red van that would be our home for the next months. It was better than we both imagined.

Mark at M5 Leisure spent almost an hour going over how the van works ie. heating, charging the battery, hooking up to electricity, water pump, raising the roof, putting up the awning etc.. We tried to remember most things but it has sometimes been trial by error, but we are getting the hang of how everything works now almost 10 days with the van.

We left the parking lot of the rental company cold turkey. Ugh! The distance back to Christine’s was about 5 miles and we took 16 miles to get there. That began our tour of narrow country lanes and the google map girl sending us off on interesting roads. That first 15 minutes, we got mixed up and found ourselves on a dual carriageway, an A highway. Our immersion program driving in England had officially begun. A fly on the wall might have heard “oops, oh no, shit, god, geeeeeez, oh come on!!!!”

Once safe back at Christine’s house, we breathed a sigh of relief but felt we had gotten over the first hurdle of van life, actually driving the van, and a mild confidence took hold. Even so, we had some groceries to pick up before dinner and walked to Morrisons rather than drive again that day.

Mark at M5 had said that it best we leave our big suitcases at Christines and buy plastic totes for our clothes etc. That night Christine and I whipped out to The Range and bought totes and once home, I transferred everything we brought for the trip into them, ready for loading the van the next morning.

March 11 – Tuesday -D (drive) Day

We were up early to start day 1 of our camping trip and after breakfast and coffee loaded the van. Our little Paddington mascot found its place on the dash. And we named the van itself Paddington, nickname Paddy if you like. We bid Christine goodbye and we felt a little sadness mixed with the excitement, like we were headed out for our first day of school.

Our destination this day was Bath to see the Roman Baths. Time of trip, 1 hour’ish. Guy soon became a pro out there on the 2 lane A road. We crusied along the countryside, amazed by its vast beauty. The initiation process of roundabouts was a challenge driving wise for guy and psychologically for me. I realize how important the navigator’s job is to getting to your destination safely. It takes two baby!!! I popped a lot of rescue remedy pills that day, a herbal pastille that is supposed to calm you.

We arrived in Bath and parked above the village at a Park and Ride. It’s the only way to fly. If you ride, you get the parking free. The narrow roads and twists and turns down into Bath are really no place for a car. They are actually no place for a double decker bus either!! But that is the way we travelled into beautiful Bath. What an absolutely stunning view coming down into the valley where Bath sits.

We met Guy’s old college friend in Bath. Karen drove down from Milton Keynes and spent a couple of days with us camping in Devizes, just outside of Bath. We toured the Baths the first day together and it was super fascinating.

Just a short history, the baths in Bath are thought to be originally used by the Celts as a place to worship and “the springs were dedicated to the goddess Sulis, who was locally identified with Minerva.”  (Wikipedia) Later, it was the Roman’s that assumed this area during the Roman Conquest of 43 AD – 87 AD. The Temple was erected first in 60 – 70 AD and then over the next 300 years, the baths were developed. “After the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the first decade of the 5th century, these fell into disrepair and were eventually lost due to silting up,^[16] and flooding.^[17] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle suggests the original Roman baths were destroyed in the 6th century.^[18]” (Wikipedia)

The baths went through various modifications over the years and in 2009 were given support and grants from government bodies to develop the exhibitions about the baths and to improve access to the baths themselves.

The informative exhibition at the baths is top notch and being able to tour this historic site is beyond awesome.

That night after setting up at the campsite, we walked from our campsite to a pub very close by and had a very pleasant first evening together.

March 12 – Wednesday

We got up and had coffee then had a most excellent long walk along the canal near the campsite. At the end of the walk was a very sweet cafe where we had an early lunch and a coffee. Then we turned around and walked the hour back to the campsite.

We travelled in the afternoon down to Dorset to a village called Stour Provost where Guy and Karen’s old buddy from college lived. Brian (or Brian the Lion as he used to be known for his head of long blond hair back in the day) and his partner Josse live in an old thatched cottage on a large idyllic piece of property in the country. Brian propagates and sells his own plants and Josse is a retired seamstress and now talented garden ornament caster and painter. It seems they have a wonderful life out in the country. There garden is a work of art, beautiful and tidy and organized with the backdrop of the hills of Dorset. I can only imagine what it looks like in the middle of summer when everything is in bloom. I

Guy hadn’t seen Brian for 40 years. It was so heartwarming to watch the three friends, Brian, Guy and Karen meet again and reminisce about their younger days when they were in their late teens and early 20’s, going to horticultural college together and then travelling together on their off time. I misted over for them, when we left, wondering if they would all see each other again.

We said goodbye and made our way in the dusk back in the direction of our campsite, stopping at a pub for a quick bite beforehand. It was a good day……..

March 13 – Thursday

We convoyed with Karen down to the Salisbury Plain and Stonehenge reasonably early. Karen had to get back to Milton Keynes that day and we had a bit of a drive to Bideford. It was a cloudy and cold morning. Out on the Salisbury Plain, the wind was icy. We were all bundled up for a wintery day.

I’d been to Stonehenge with my friend Bern in the 1980’s in July. I remember we put our bikes on the train from London, got off at Salisbury and cycled up to Stonehenge. There was just a rope around the stones. I can’t remember it being busy at the site at all. I do remember Bern having trouble with her bike that day. That bike was a lemon from the outset. We later cycled in Normandy and it was problematic the whole way.

Described as a “prehistoric, megalithic structure”, Stonehenge and its surrounding are a Unesco World Heritage Site. The Stone Circle made of sarsen stone ( silicified sandstone blocks that are weather resistant) was placed between 2600 BC and 2400 BC and the smaller blue stones in the middle of the ring were placed between 2400 BC and 2200 BC. The site of the ring of stones has a much earlier history as burial grounds for the people at that time.

On this visit, I was very impressed by the interpretative center. We spent a better part of an hour learning about Stonehenge and the inhabitants of the Salisbury plain at that time. Then we had a windy and brisk walk out to the site where Stonehenge sits magically and mysteriously on the plain. It’s hard to believe the stones were placed by man without any modern mechanical devices to aid the process.

Stonehenge is a fabulous model for photos. There are so many angles and the lighting and cloud backdrop, especially that day with the unsettled weather, was changing every minute.

After an enjoyable and exhilarating few hours we had a snack at the cafe at the interpretive center and said goodbye to our friend Karen as she made her way back to Milton Keynes. Guy and I beelined to Bideford in Devon to start working our way down the west coast.