Falkland Islands

Arriving at Stanley, we have a guided walking tour at lunchtime, otherwise free time to explore the town and try some local walks. Well the guided walk didn’t happen, no guide available for our time slot, so told we could join another one - next one in an hour or any up until 4pm ! So we did the “walk” ourselves. Basically Stanley has one long road that runs parallel to the sea and most things are on that. The first houses you see make you think you could be in Newton Abbot, Jubilee Villas is a typical Victorian terrace of four houses, a short walk further on is the cathedral and the whale bone arch. We next went to the Maritime museum, this has some old room settings including one of the British Antarctic huts, similar to the one we saw at Damoy point. The post office still has the old red style phone boxes outside, but were told they no longer work. Further along is the Governor’s Mansion and a number of memorials, commemorating the 1982 war, the World Wars and one specifically to the marines who apparently helped in the original establishment of the colony. In Victory Gardens there is part of the mizzen mast of Brunel’s SS Great Britain, which was abandoned here for many years before being taken back to Bristol and restored. Back passed the jetty in the other direction is the Cross of Sacrifice and the cemetery, the cemetery is part local and part war graves, looking at some of the early graves you see how hard life must have originally been as 50 to 60 appeared a good age. Whilst on the walk we saw a number of geese, believe the ruddy headed variety and black-browned Albatross flying overhead, supposed to be rockhopper penguins but didn’t spot any of those. But we are around the Falklands for the next couple of days so perhaps we are in the more remote areas. Too many pictures today have uploaded some for the sights mentioned.
Across the bay from Stanley, laid out in white stone are the names of some of the old naval Antarctic and Falklands protection vessels, Karen’s father - Roy, served on the Protector in the mid 50s down here in the South Atlantic.
Trivia facts: Karen recorded 13000 steps I recorded 10000, Karen walked 7.2km I walked 7.4km.Read more