Holiday in Wales - Hendy CL

8/6/15 Hendy
We had bacon and egg for breakfast then went to catch the Talyllyn train at the Hendy halt. We travelled up to Dolgoch and walked to see the Dolgoch Falls. They were very impressive as was the walk through the wooded valley to see them. Returning to Dolgoch station we caught the train down to Tywyn where we had a decent meal from the station restaurant.

Catching the train at our very own station

Views of the Cader Idris foothills from the train

Dolgoch Falls

The beautiful Dolgoch valley

Our engine "Tal-Y-Llyn"

 Back on the train again to travel to Nant Gwernol, the last station on the line. We went for a second walk through beautiful woodland beside a casacding stream then back down to the railway at Aberglynolwen. We had a cup of tea while we waited for the train to take us back to Hendy. Back at Morag we sat outside for a beer in glorious sunshine but the chilly wind sent us indoors for our tea.

Nant Gwernol valley

Nant Gwernol valley

View from the train on our return journey

Holiday in Wales - Freshwater East and Hendy

5/6/15 Freshwater East

Morag at Freshwater East

Bacon and egg for breakfast - very nice! It rained quite hard this morning so we did some domestic stuff. While Lyn did some essential laundry, I was able to get the wifi access to work (though intermittently). I downloaded some software to enable me to process some photos on Lyn's laptop and entered the blog entries for the first three days of our holiday.
The rain eased off late morning giving way to bright, fresh conditions. We had a light lunch of sandwiches and set off for a walk. We took Button to the beach so that she could let off steam then walked west along the coastal path. There was quite a lot of climbing so we stopped after a couple of kilometers for a brief rest, then returned the same way.

Feshwater East beach from the Coast al Path

Lyn on the Coastal path

Button and the view towards Stackpole

Relaxing on the Coast path

Button Looking beautiful!

Returning to Freshwater East

We had the remainer of the chilli with some mash for our evening meal then listened to some music while Lyn read her Kindle.

Dinner at Morag

 6/6/15 Freshwater East
We caught the bus to Stackpole Quay. Stackpole is a National Trust estate property with a tearoom (The Boathouse) and extensive coastal walks and beaches. We had our lunch at The Boathouse then walked to Barafundle Beach. This must be one of the best beaches in the whole of Britain. It can only be reached on foot (or from the sea) and is a wide stretch of perfect sand with cliffs on each side. Button loved running on th beach.

Lyn and Button at Stackpole Quay

Barafundle Bay

On Barafundle beach

Barafundle from the climb back up to the Coastal path

 After leaving the beach we walked along the coastal path to Broad Haven. It was very windy along the cliff top but beuatifully sunny. We took a short rest at Broad Haven beach and were pleased to see some Choughs searching for food on the rocky hillside. Near to Broad Haven are the Bosherston Lily Ponds. These are artificial lakes created in the 19th century by the local landowner. They are well-known for their impressive display of White Water Lillies in the summer. We walked past these and across the linking bridges to Bosherston village where we called in at the pub for a pint. Lyn then read her Kindle while I looked for  more photos before we caught the bus back to Freshwater East.

Chough at Broad Haven

White Water Lillies

Water Lillies on Bosherston Lakes

Bosherston Church

7/6/15 Freshwatwer East to Hendy

We got up quite early and prepared Morag for travel after our breakfast. We drove from Freshwater East to Aberystwyth intending to visit the Vale of Rheidol railway but were disappointed to fnd that there were only 2 trains that day and the second train would have got us back too late. I looked at the map and found a woodland with a picnic area marked. When we arrived we found that it is a research woodland for Aberystwyth University. We had a pleasant walk through the woodland before having a snack lunch. 

We continued our Journey arriving at Hendy, near Tywyn, at about 4 o'clock. The Hendy CL is fairly basic but has the essential utilities, electric hook-up, drinking water and a toilet. The field is sloping so we had to use the levelling blocks for the first time. The Tal-Y-Llyn railway passes by the top of the field and the site is surrounded by attractive hillsides.

Morag at Hendy

We walked into Tywyn to see our friend Rose Woodland (who lives there). Rose showed us around her huge house which is still under renovation; more of a job than I'd be prepared to take on! Back at Morag, we had our Tesco "meal for a tenner" including a very acceptable bottle of Shiraz!

Holiday in Wales - Tenby and Freshwater East

June 4th

We had breakfast on a sunny and calm morning before preparing Morag for the journey to our next camp site. We drove to Tenby to look at the town which I had rad was an attractive coastal resort. We were very impressed with Tenby, with its beaches, its multicoloured houses and the castle hill.

Tenby Harbour and Castle  Hill

We had a visit to the lifeboat station and the top of Castle Hill. For lunch we got a Pastie and a Toastie from a Harbourside snack bar. Then we went for a pint in one of the town pubs.

South Beach at Tenby

The old lifeboat station taken from the new one

The latest Tenby lifeboat, the "Haydn Miller"

Lyn and Button at the top of Castle Hill

George and Button

Street near the harbour

Boats in the harbour

Seagull waiting for the chance of a chip at the pub!

Tenby North Beach

We drove from Tenby to Freshwater East in the afternoon. Freshwater East is a fully services Caravan Club site. We chose a hardstanding pitch near the toilet block and the dog walk. After setting up we walked down to the beach where Button had a great time running on the sands. The beach is long, about 3/4 mile, back by dunes and closed in at each end by impressive Old Red Sandstone rocks.
We ate our evening meal of pre-prepared chili=li and rice under the awning - once I had figured out how to put it up!

Old Red Sandstone rocks at Freshwater East

Freshwater East beach panorama

Freshwater East

Holiday in Wales - Shortlands Farm

June 2nd

We got off by 9:30 for the long drive. Once we got into Wales we left the rain behind but the wind was very strong. We stopped at a lay-by in the Wye valley for lunch in Morag.
We arrived at Shortlands Farm CL (Certificated Location) at about 4:15. I got soaked from a poor connection to the tap while filling up with drinking water! The site has a spacious field, fairly level, and is just a short walk from the coast.

View from near Shortlands Farm CL

After a cup of tea and setting up we walked the 1/2 mile to the Druidstone Hotel for a drink. Lyn cooked dinner of pie and mash which we ate in Morag.

June 3rd

We woke to a sunny and much calmer morning. After toast for breakfast we walked the coastal path to Broad Haven (2.5 miles). We had a coffee in the village and then, while Lyn read her Kindle and walked Button, I walked around the beach taking a few photos.

Broad Haven beach

Rocks at south end of Broad Haven beach

We went back to the cafe where we had had cooffee for our lunch - a huge portion of fish and chips!

We had met a dog walker on the coast path who had suggested that we walk back via Haroldstone Woods so, after initial difficulty in finding the path, we took that route. Button loved walking through the woods.

The path climbed steadily until we came out by a small church, St Madoc in the Ferns. After a short road walk we took a footpath across the fields back to Druidstone. We had a lazy afternoon sitting and reading followed by pork pie for tea.

Morag's first dog show

Lyn, Button and Button's Aunty Kath took Morag to Thoresby Hall for a dog agility show on Friday 27th March. It was a lovely venue with plenty of open spaces, parkland and woodland walks.
We did our own catering and Aunty Kath was in her element! On arrival we filled up with water but couldn't put our hose on the tap so had to manoeuvre the van very close and use the fitted hose. We got the gas going, primed the water pump and switched on the water heater. We were now up and running.

Sitting on Morag's step

That first Friday evening was very pleasant, not too cold, and Button settled in well. We put up the fencing I had borrowed from dog club and made a little garden for her. Then we relaxed for the evening and did a fair bit of giggling like schoolgirls!
We didn't have the heating on during Friday night but used hot-water bottles which kept us warm and cosy. I slept on the top bunk in the Luton (agile Lyn, well it was an agility show)!
Button had one good agility round on the Saturday, but I'm afraid didn't do at all well in the other rounds.
On Sunday afternoon we abandoned the last class of the day and packed up for home, draining the hot water and turning off the pump and the gas. We had to be careful on Saturday night as the leisure battery was running low on charge. We had washed up as we went along and may have used the water pump too much as a consequence.
Overall, it was quite a successful first stay away on a less well-equipped site.

A wet day at Chatsworth

After the last two days of fine but cold weather we woke to rain this morning. The rain persisted until after 3 p.m. but we had a brighter late afternoon and were able to take a walk in Chatsworth Park.

Button had the right idea during the rain!

Lots of deer were gathered together in one herd; we estimated 100 or so individuals. On our way back to the caravan site we saw a Sparrowhawk take a small bird. The light was very poor but I took a few photos anyway.

Some of the deer in the large herd

Sparrowhawk having its dinner (sorry for poor quality)

For lunch today we walked into Baslow (in the rain) and went to Il Lupo, a very pleasant Italian restaurant.

Chatsworth House from the bridge over the River Derwent

The bridge designed by James Paine and completed in 1761

First proper trip

We left home yesterday for our first proper trip away in Morag, our Motorhome. (Lyn chose the name!) We have come to the Caravan Club site at Chatsworth Park.

Morag with Chatsworth House visible through the trees

We tried to pack everything that we thought we would need but, inevitably, forgot a few things. Nothing disastrous but we forgot washing-up liquid, teaspoons and our container of drinking water. Luckily, my sisters, Linda and Susan (and Linda's husband Richard) visited today and were able to bring a spoon and washing up liquid.
The site is very well set up and looked after but busy because of half-term. The plot we chose is near the dog walking area so Button is well-catered for.

The dog walk

Chatsworth House is nearby, we can just see it through the trees from Morag. We walked over to the house for lunch at the Stables cafe.

The imposing gateway to the Stables

We seem to have got everything working OK with the exception of the TV. Never mind, we can use the WiFi connection and the laptop to watch Pointless!
Yesterday was Lyn's birthday and we had a very nice meal at Rowley's Restaurant in Baslow to celebrate but tonight we are eating in with a convenience meal (Moussaka).

Chatsworth House

Lyn and Button in Chatsworth Park

Large herd of deer across the River Derwent

Oh! Deer!