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Ilston

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    • Day 17

      Wonderful weather in Wales

      May 13, 2023 in Wales ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

      Today could only be described (in the exact words of John Owen) as ‘an absolute cracker of a day’.
      And it was.
      The weather was perfect - clear skies, light breeze and warm enough to break out the shorts for the first time on the trip. There was a spring in the step and a smile on the face of all the locals who were clearly enjoying the weather as well - everyone commented as you passed them while out walking with phrases such as ‘beautiful day’, ‘thanks Aussies for bringing this great weather with you’ and similar.

      And walk we did !

      John and Sarah had devised a plan for exploring the local area on foot and they asked if we were keen for a walk? ‘Yes, sure, we love walking. We did lots of walking in London ….what do you have in mind? ‘
      Well, what they had in mind was (after a short drive to our launching spot at Penmaen) ‘a little circle-route’ walk in this very beautiful part of Wales known as The Gower.
      We firstly steadily climbed up to gain altitude for panoramic views up and down the coast and out towards the Brecon Beacons at Cefn Bryn. From there we tracked out towards a famous landmark - ‘King Arthur’s Stone’. At this point John was leading confidently as Sarah called out - ‘John, I don’t think this is a good way - its always wet and boggy through this section’.
      Without changing his direction or missing a stride, John confidently calls out over his shoulder “No, no, no, it’s absolutely fine” as simultaneously we all stepped into wet and boggy ground and could now not only SEE the landscape but could FEEL it through our damp shoes and socks.
      Photos were taken at King Arthur’s Rock, then we headed downhill to the King Arthur Hotel and Reynoldston for coffee and a snack.
      From here we walked along a cliff’s edge around to Torbay beach and stunning views over Three Cliffs Bay, then down onto the beach, across a rapidly flowing river via stepping stones, up the other side through a golf course then back to John and Sarah’s home. (Sarah had detoured before we got to the last beach to retrieve the car and drive it home).

      Lots of beautiful scenery, 26,000 steps and 19.5 km saw us through their front door for a late lunch enjoying the sunshine in the gazebo in the back garden.

      Next it was off for a short walk around to Sam and Jemima Snelling’s house for afternoon tea precisely 10 minutes after we had finished lunch. We spent an hour or so with them and their four gorgeous children which was lovely enjoying coffee and cake in the sunny front garden area.
      We then returned to John and Sarah’s house for yet another afternoon tea and drinks, joined by Jeremy and Katie (John’s sister and brother-in-law who live next door as well as their guests Ian and Jo Brown from Bristol)
      Meanwhile Sarah had been busy putting the finishing touches on dinner which we then moved inside for. It was a delicious meal and by the time we had finished a specially made pavlova (and cheese platter) for us Aussies… it seemed like we had been eating and drinking non-stop for about 7 hours.😳

      Thanks to John and Sarah for organising and hosting us on a wonderful and memorable day :)
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    • Day 16

      Dragon+Woman at Cardiff Castle

      May 12, 2023 in Wales ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      We had mixed feelings on awakening in Cardiff this morning.

      On the one hand we were pleased that it was a fine day, which we had sort of expected as we had checked the weather forecast the evening before and it stated “Friday will start off with possible showers, fog but then will become hot, at a maximum of 18 degrees. Stay hydrated and be sun-safe” 😳
      On the other hand we were a little disappointed because the accommodation I had booked was not just the most economically priced room we had had so far - it was also a Weight Loss Centre - and even though I had ticked all the available options being offered on the booking form including Personal Training, Non-Invasive Liposuction and Oxygen Therapy, we hadn’t lost any noticeable weight in the 11.5 hours we had spent there. I was considering approaching the manager requesting a fee reduction.

      We had a reasonably leisurely start, as once again nothing of interest opens here until 10am.

      We walked down past Cardiff Castle through Bute Park and found that we had arrived at our first destination (The Museum of Cardiff) at exactly 9.48am. The doors were not open yet of course, but there were market stalls in the street outside which were starting to open up. This was perfect, as Loss had been complaining bitterly that I had given her no time in the itinerary for any shopping, markets etc. - which of course was simply not true. I had (on several occasions) allowed her ‘market time’ late in the afternoon after they were all shuttered up - but apparently this wasn’t good enough. So now I allowed her exactly 12 minutes of REAL market time this morning to peruse untold treasures of junk jewellery, scented candles and imitation designer sunglasses.
      I don’t think she is as grateful of this as I feel she should be - sometimes she can be quite difficult to please.

      The museum of Cardiff was interesting and we discovered that the street (and building) we had stayed in last night was quite historic.
      From here it was a short walk back to Cardiff Castle which has origins stretching back to Roman occupation. We decided not to take the extensive (and expensive) tour of the innards of the Castle as we knew we would encounter many more castles on our journey, so we walked on to our final Cardiff destination which was the National Museum of Cardiff. Of particular interest here were some famous original artworks by Monet (Water Lillies).
      ‘We don’t know much about art, but we know what we like’

      It was midday by the time we walked back to our weight-loss accommodation and drove off towards ‘The Gower’. This little peninsula is indeed a very scenic part of Wales and is where John and Sarah Owen live (Southgate). First stop was beyond their home at a place walled ‘Worm’s Head’. This was a particularly attractive part of the coastline and we enjoyed the walk out to the viewing point from the car park.

      Next we visited ‘Three Cliffs Bay’ which is also a delightful beach tucked in between - you guessed it - three cliffs.
      Finally, we backtracked a little to Oxwich Beach. The stinginess in me came to the fore here again. Faced with a £4 parking fee, or 1 hour of free parking at the shops a few meters away IF you bought something - we chose the latter. A £3 serve of hot chips allowed us to saunter down to the beach and enjoy our purchase and the view at the same time with an extra £1 in my pocket.
      It was now a short drive back to John and Sarah’s house and it was absolutely wonderful to see them again and we were made to feel very welcome.

      A coffee and extensive chatter in the gazebo in the back garden which was delightful - it was a hot day after all - then dinner out at a lovely local restaurant by the beach, was followed by a visit back to John’s mother and father and sister (Michael, Rishmal and Amy).
      We spent a really enjoyable time with them at their home over coffee and tea before returning back to John and Sarah’s home.

      All in all a great day was had.

      We are now hoping that there will be a delayed effect from the ‘Weight Loss’ accommodation from last night and we’ll wake up slimmer and fitter in the morning.
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    • Day 7

      Three Cliffs Bay

      August 4, 2024 in Wales ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Il settimo giorno è dedicato alla scoperta della Penisola di Gower - Penrhyn gwyr. La mattina ci siamo inoltrati alla scoperta della Three Cliffs Bay, nella costa a sud della penisola. La baia prende il nome dalla scogliera a tre punte alta circa 20 metri. Al centro della baia sfocia nel mare il corso d’acqua Pennard Pill. Per raggiungere la baia, il sentiero sabbioso ci conduce alla scoperta del Pennard Castle al quale è legata una leggenda presente nel libro Fairy Book di Jenkyn Thomas del 1925.
      Il castello di Pennar, nella Penisola di Gower, è ora solo un mucchio di rovine perduto tra la sabbia. Un tempo era il castello di un valoroso guerriero al quale venne concessa la mano della bellissima figlia del capo di Gwyneed.
      Una notte, allo scoccare della mezzanotte, la sentinella del castello sentì una musica strana provenire dal cortile del palazzo e iniziò a nascere nel suo cuore una paura che non aveva mai provato prima di allora. Era una notte di luna piena e all’improvviso vide delle fate danzare sulla musica dolce. La sentinella corse dal padrone del castello raccontando quanto stava accadendo. Il padrone, ubriaco, ordinò al soldato di cacciarle via senza preoccuparsi delle conseguenze della sua azione.
      Uscendo, alla luce della luna, brandendo la sua spada saggiamente, la sentinella cercò di cacciare le fate, le quali risposero: “visto che interrompi la nostra danza senza motivo alcuno, rimarrai senza castello e senza festa”.
      Dette queste parole, una nuvola di sabbia avvolse le mura del castello e dello stesso rimase solo la torre.
      Il castello risale al XII secolo e si pensa sia stato costruito da Henrique Beaumont quando divenne il primo Lord di Gower. Il castello doveva rappresentare la potenza normanna nell’area. Fu riscoperto solo nel 1961.
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    • Day 21

      Three Cliffs Bay

      June 7, 2022 in Wales ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

      Auf der Gower-Halbinsel haben wir eine kleine Strandwanderung unternommen. Es ging über einen Wiesenweg auf den Klippen zur Three Cliffs Bay. Dort konnten wir barfuß den Sand und das Wasser genießen. Zurück an der Wohnung haben wir uns dann zwei klitzekleine Portionen Fish & Chips gegönnt 🐟🍟😉.Read more

    • Day 12

      Oxwich & Three Cliffs Bay

      July 9, 2024 in Wales ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      Wir haben heute noch fleißig Gower erkundet, war wirklich super super schön. Morgen geht's dann weiter über die Westküste in den Norden und unser letztes "Land"-Quartier in Anglesey 😁

    • Day 8

      The three cliffs und Caswell Bay

      June 25, 2019 in Wales ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      Eine weitere schöne Bucht war unser nächstes Ziel. Auch hier wieder weit laufen und dann den Ausblick genießen. Hier hat es leider angefangen zu regnen, so dass wir nicht bis zum Strand gelaufen sind.

      An der Caswell Bay sind wir nur vorbei gefahren und kurz von der Strasse aus Fotos gemacht.
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