Cold and Stormy Days

The weather continued colder and brighter for a few days after our walk up Consti - in fact we even made a second trip later in the week!  

We actually saw a dash of snow one day - all good for the 'meadow' which we'd planted up with Yellow Rattle seeds that need some colder weather to prime them to germinate.

Hoping that if that 'takes' we may actually have more success with other meadow plants, as it is supposed to suppress the grass and help other more delicate wildflower plants to flourish.  

Just have to wait and see what comes up!

Of course the cold days soon gave way to more wet and windy weather - with Storm Isha hitting us hard enough to do some serious damage to the polytunnel.  Martin made a temporary repair, but we'll have to replace the cover for the new growing season - although we'll wait for better weather first! 

Consti Cold and Bright

After the wet start to the year, we've finally been enjoying some bright (if rather cold) weather - and today we took our first walk of 2024 up Constitution Hill in the sunshine.

Must admit I found it harder work than I would have liked (too much Christmas indulgence!) but the views are always worth it  . . .

Another Sunny Sunday

 This time with a walk down to Tan-y-Bwlch . . .

Woodland Walking

A lovely sunny Sunday, so we took a trip down to Aberaeron, walking along the railway path to Llanerchaeron, then round the woodlands there.

Did have a quick wander round the gardens and farmyard too of course!

No piglets today 😔 but one rather mean looking cat, and a snoozing big daddy:

Posts that Didn't Happen - August 2022

August brought me back to reality, in the form of a new job - something a bit different for me, haven't really 'done' sales before!  Mostly it's the customer service side though, rather than direct selling - working Monday to Wednesday, answering online enquiries etc.  

Anyway, they're a good bunch of people, the stock is often fascinating and the days swoosh by - plus it's putting a few more pounds in the bank (for now at least) 😊

Also got back from the Folk Festival to find that my crop of courgettes had (as ever) transformed into the annual crop of marrows . . . cue the usual round of recipe hunting . . .

Mid-month brought a family visit, coinciding with some more gloriously hot weather - although far too hot by the afternoons to do anything much.  

Visit over, travelled home via Powis Castle, and the backroads round by Nant-y-Moch reservoir, looking beautiful in the summer sunshine . . .

The rest of the month passed with work, some intermittent sunshine, cooking, jam making, a rather annoying car breakdown, and a little light pantry reorganisation.

Ended August with an evening walk up Consti  (first time this year for me, after months with a dodgy foot), watching the sunset over Cardigan Bay.

Back in the Peak

So for this year's 'trip out', we decided to revisit Bakewell and the Peak District, by way of family in East Anglia.

On our way to Bakewell, we took in Calke Abbey near Derby . . .

. . . lots of deer, spooky service tunnels, and a rather run-down property (described as an 'un-stately home' reflecting the condition in which it came to the National Trust).

Fitted in a long walk along Dovedale on one of the nicer days, starting at Ilam Hall, crossing the iconic stepping stones, and on to Milldale and back (a bit further than we'd intended - although Martin also made it up Thorpe Cloud). 

Some great views (lots of caves and arches), and even saw a dipper by the stream.

 

Our visit to Hardwick Hall was a little damper - although it all looked quite atmospheric in the rain, and the house is always beautiful.  The autumn cyclamen in the gardens were also looking stunning despite the weather.

Bakewell itself was much as remembered, although the bridge pictured on our last visit in 2013 is now so loaded down with 'love locks' that it's no wonder it needs repair!

Finished the trip with a long-anticipated visit to Little Moreton Hall - a moated, half-timbered Tudor manor house - very quirky and picturesque, and we got to see it in the sunshine too!

This and That

And we're into June already - the swallows and swifts are back with us, although I think this (as a nest) needs a bit more work!* 

 

We're still feeding the birds off and on, but it turns out the mice are also somehow finding their way up onto the bird feeders - although it must have been something of an acrobatic feat!

The sun has been shining, and we had a beautiful late afternoon walk around Cwm Rheidol.  

The nice weather means that locally the farmers have already been cutting the grass for silage - here it is drying in the late evening sunshine . . .

*After some high winds a week or so later it was duly abandoned.

Bags of Fun

Our state-sanctioned daily walk today took us litter picking along the road outside the house - exercise and a good clean-up - win win!

Aberporth Amble

It was raining when we woke up; it was raining when we made the decision to drive to Cardigan, catch a bus to Aberporth and walk the Aberporth to Cardigan leg of the Coastal Path. It was raining when we got in the car and left the house.  However the Met Office had forecast that the weather would improve . . . 

As we arrived in Cardigan it was still raining hard, hard as it only can on the wild west coast of Wales. Faced with the thought of a 7 hour walk in the rain and extremely muddy paths we opted instead to spend the day looking around Cardigan. I think it is fair to say that we are fair weather walkers!

The Met Office were nevertheless proved to be spot-on with their forecast, but by the time the weather improved the bus we'd planned to catch had gone, and the next bus was not for several hours.

In other words, we'd literally 'missed the bus' on our travel plans for the day.

We had a pleasant couple of hours wandering around Cardigan with an al fresco lunch in a café by Cardigan Market but it is not a big town and we were soon ready to move on.

Decided to stop off in Aberporth as the sun was still shining and we had read online about a small cliff walk to the neighbouring hamlet of Tresaith - which forms part of the coastal path (and would have been part of our planned walk).

We had never been to Aberporth before and was surprised to see a nice beach around which a working harbour is operating. During our short visit, the tractor was busy transporting boats down to the sea.

The path that we planned on walking started the other side of the harbour behind the town houses.


Taking us over the cliff, we passed a number of converted railway carriages, which appear to be being used as holiday accommodation.




The walk over the the cliff itself was extremely pleasant and very popular - it seems that many, like us, had taken advantage of the break in the weather to stretch their legs.


As we descended into Tresaith we could clearly see the waterfall (the River Saith apparently) cascading over the cliffs onto the beach - couldn't resist taking a closer look as it is a sight to see, probably helped by the high levels of rain we have experienced this summer.  In Mid Wales rainfall is not a reliable indicator of what meteorological season we are in!

There was time for a refreshing pint in The Ship Inn before heading back the way we came to Aberporth.

The climb out of Tresaith is the only part of the walk that has any ascent of note but it is no harder than others paths we had travelled along the coastal route.

On the way back to Aberporth were lucky enough to see the Cardigan Bay Dolphins, but from the top of the cliff we were not close enough to get a good photo.

The return walk to Tresaith from Aberporth is only 6km, a fraction over 4 miles, and made an enjoyable and mostly non-strenuous walk.


Fortunately it is one we will be happy enough to walk again when we return to walking the Coastal Path proper.

September Travels

Still on holiday, and still plagued with less than brilliant weather, decided we might as well make the best of it and headed northwards to visit friends in the Lake District.

Started with a couple of nights in Chester - where we reasoned that at least there would be things to do if it stayed wet.


On our first afternoon / evening the weather was actually pretty good though, and we got to wander the walls in the sunshine, before revisiting some of our favourite pubs from our last visit.



The next day the weather was a little more mixed - did get quite wet at one point, but soon dried off.

Did some shopping, walked some more bits of the wall, and enjoyed a free falconry display in the Cathedral grounds (where the gyrfalcon being flown went off script chasing pigeons - although the falconer did eventually manage to entice it back!

Moved on, on a wet Sunday morning, to Milnthorpe in Cumbria to visit with friends (and belatedly celebrate another 50th birthday).  Arrived early afternoon, and after hellos and tea and stuff, decided that we would brave the weather  and go for a short walk in the Sizergh Castle grounds.

As it turned out it wasn't that 'short' - we were out for close to 3 hours - got a bit wet at the start, dried up around the middle, and took a short break at the Wheatsheaf Inn in Brigsteer for a pint.

The walk back to Sizergh took us up to St John's Helsington with its expansive views over the valley, before heading back, in the rain again.

We'd all got full waterproofs on, so the rain hadn't been that problematic - unfortunately one of the last gateways on the way back to the car park, was completely flooded to above boot level, so it was a bit squelchy getting back to the car.  (The boots were drying out with newspaper in them for the remainder of the visit!).

Had a very nice celebratory dinner out that night at the Black Labrador in Underbarrow - and a day pottering about Ambleside, etc.  Before saying our goodbyes, and making our way back to Wales.

Stopped off at Chirk Castle on our way home - hadn't been there for years, and had an enjoyable couple of hours or so wandering round the property and its gardens.

All in all a nice few days - despite the weather!

Cat on a Hot Thatched Roof

Weekend with family, and a day out in Huntingdonshire.

First stop Hinchingbrooke Country Park, walking round the lakes - admiring the wild flowers, and the local wildlife . . .






We then moved on to Houghton Mill for a return visit . . .



. . . taking a walk out from there to Hemingford Abbots - a very pretty (and probably very expensive) village, with lots of thatched cottages, with their own brand of interesting wildlife!

The day was enlivened further when a badger ran across the road straight in front of us - not something you usually see in the heat of the day, although it soon disappeared under a garden hedge!

Didn't have time today for a longer walk, but there were other routes to follow, and a nice country pub for lunch - may well be back.

Wild Fenland

End of October and a weekend away visiting family - a bit of shopping and dinner out on the Saturday, and a quiet family day on the Sunday, including a walk round some of the local fenland nature trails.

We started at the Whitemoor Prison Nature Reserve - fenland countryside on our left, looming prison walls on the right (felt slightly strange!).  This eventually joins up with the more formally recognised Ring's End Nature Reserve, which follows a disused railway line, past ponds, reedbeds and scrubland - with views out over the fens:

Not a huge amount of wildlife to see - a passing dog walker claimed to have spotted deer in the fields but we weren't so lucky.

Lots of  Ink Cap Mushrooms in evidence though.






Back home again we were however treated to a (not terribly good) view of a Sparrowhawk, in the tree outside the conservatory window!