Tintern Travels.

Another little meander in the Welsh countryside courtesy of The Concorde Walking group. 
Ably led by Paul this week, we set off from The Wye Valley Hotel in Tintern after pre ordering food from their tasty lunchtime menu. We were so lucky with the weather as it was a bright and beautiful morning, not quite Spring but almost!

 The start and end of the walk was the car park a few minutes drive away up the hill at  Whitestone Picnic Site and Car Park. (On the road from Trelleck to LLandogo, opposite the turning to Tintern- map reference 523029) The picnic site is certainly a great one for families with children as there was a lovely little adventure playground there, with all the trees and woodland paths crying out to be explored. There is a toilet block too which looks fairly new but it is only open during summer months.

We set off with great enthusiasm up the first hill, a gradual uphill climb until we got to Ninewells Wood.The countryside is still very much in Winter mood but I like being able to see through the trees especially in deciduous woods whose leaves hide so much in summer. Still grey, but with a faint shimmer of green shoots here and there, spring is creeping nearer. The fields in these parts are very much marked by the grey dry stone walls which mark the field boundaries.

We travelled the paths through Ninewells Woods, boggy in places but easy walking, nattering about life as we went. Ninewells Wood is on the edge of Cleddon Bog a special area of scientific interest. Lots of bog plants exist here that are very rare. Lets hope none of them were trampled by our boots! Cleddon Bog has been described as "the best example of lowland bog habitat in Monmouthshire." I guess the blue super duck on the map Paul gave us, was a clue. Ever on wards, the watchful cows mooed at our passing, we encountered no wild boar....fortunately. The boar are apparently migrating from the nearby Forest of Dean.

Sorry the cows were a bit camera shy.

We continued across the Broad Meend through the woodlands. The conifers in this part of the world are gradually being cleared so the land can to revert to heath land. This new habitat is  being fenced and grazed with Exmoor ponies, we saw a few. In the areas of broad leafed woodland I am reliably informed that the call of woodpeckers, song thrushes and bull finches may be heard. We heard a few tweets!! 

Abandoning heavy winter wear, we trekked on aiming now for the final assault on the pub. The Wye Valley lunch was beckoning, only a few miles to go.

We walked on passed the poor tired tree with no gold in the roots. Duncan looked!

Cleddon Hall watched as we marched across it's fields! I wonder what Bertrand Russell, the philosopher and mathematician would have made of our motley crew. Bertrand Russell was born here in 1872, when the house was called Ravenscroft, a much more fitting name I think. Worth £1950,000 in 2013, this desirable 6 bedroom property with 32.5 acres was a steal for someone, Council Tax Band H.

We soon arrived at Cleddon Falls or Cleddon Shoots as it is sometimes known. A spectacular water fall which looked beautiful as it gushed down into the valley. Cleddon Falls has been a favourite with tourists for many years. In 1840 there was a pub here called The Three Pots. Now as an SSSI ( Site of Special Scientific Interest) it is the home for lots of special and rare bog plants. The spirit of the ancient woodlands is also here, perhaps making friends with the spirit of the poet Wordsworth, who also lurks in these trees. 

We clambered down the challenging set of steps to get a better view and then clambered back up. Certainly  a lovely spot to sit and muse. Finally on the home straight, we wandered back through the trees, you could certainly appreciate why poets like Wordsworth loved this part of the world. With the winding Wye below us we walked back through the woods and found ourselves back where we started. A great walk 4.5 miles said Mr Garmin. A very nice lunch was had by all back at the Wye Valley Hotel a walk we would love to do again.

Here's a map of the route we took. Many thanks Paul!

A Walk Around Wick

On a cold and rather damp though dry, February morning we joined "The Concorde" walking group for a little hike around Wick at the  Golden Valley Nature Reserve. Parking up at The Rose and Crown, a very nice pub on the High Street at Wick, we met the other walkers. Den had worked with some of the retirees back in his Concorde days. The other walkers all looked well kitted up for the hike and were a very jolly, friendly, bunch. 

We set off from the car park under Andy, the walking leader's directions. The walking club members take it in turn to plan and lead the walks. We were heading for the nature reserve at Wick and the quarry. There had been much heavy rain, so Andy had been careful to pick a route he hoped would not be too slippery! Our first challenge was a lovely muddy hill, we were pleased we had the walking poles. I manged to get covered in mud, so a good start. Ever onwards, we passed the rather posh looking Bury Manor Castle Hotel. Built in the Gothic revival style in the early 19th Century, it looked very grand. We skirted the edge of the hotel buildings and slipped through the kissing gate at the side.

Up and across the fields we went, passing some very calm looking sheep who watched our passing with mild curiosity before continuing with their snacking on the grassy hill. Some of the sheep were shaggier than others, obviously a different brand with the shaggier coats and curly horns. The goats have been introduced as part of a local project to help manage the grassland. No volunteers from our group for the post of goat herd, vacancy still open.

Upwards towards the quarry, which suddenly appeared on the horizon a huge blue green hole in the earth. 8.8 hectares of prime quarry land. The quarry continues with the mining of aggregates but is also being developed as a nature reserve. The irony of modern road development aiding natural conservation. We build bigger and more congested roads, whilst trying to preserve natural habitats. Home to peregrine falcons, nesting ravens and kestrels, the quarry is being managed sympathetically and gradually reverting to a more natural wild state. Encouraging the growth of rare species of flora and fauna has become a priority, as we build more and more roads.

The view from the top of the hill overlooking the quarry was breath taking, to think of the thousands of years it has been there. Nestling in the valley in the ancient woodlands, if only the stones could talk.

We continued on the walk taking in more of the natural wild life, the ostrich were a bonus. The strange banging noises they made sounded like African drums, perhaps they were drumming up the sun. Some hope!

After a refreshing coffee break we headed on towards the Ochre Works. Ochre is a fine mix of clay and iron oxide. Red ochre is formed when water filters through the minerals in the bedrock. The production of ochre was continued until the 1970's when the mine closed. Wick red ochre was used to colour The Mall around Buckingham Palace and exported all around the world for use in colouring many things. All the that remains now is the weir and the place where the factory stood. We climbed to the top of Ravens Rock and looked down on the tumbling River Boyd below. We didn't meet any of the bats that now nest here, guess they were having a snooze in the middle of the day. By night it is a place for at least ten species of bats which roost in the tunnels near the weir. One of our party did try the ochre as war paint, it worked too, lucky a bit of water got it off!

Looking down over the River Boyd. "There's signal crayfish in them waters!", it was too cold to investigate further. Daubenton Bats skim the waters at night.

Here is Ravens Rock, peregrine falcons have nested here for the last 10 years. No signs today yet.

We continued back down the path. A strange man watched through the trees with half an eye on the interlopers as they passed by. 

Down through the magical red glen with red ochre on our boots. Perhaps following in the footsteps of the miners of long ago wending their way back to the pub after a long days labour in the mine.  Certainly an interesting couple of hours and a walk we may try again on another day. We made it back to the cosy log burner in the Rose and Crown, the heavens opened and it poured with rally heavy rain. The wood spirits were certainly on our side.

Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays from The Camping and Caravanning Club. Our Tailor Made Tour. Getting Ready.

Well, we have finally bitten the bullet and booked the holiday.

Courtesy of Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays from The Camping and Caravanning Club. Tailor Made. We are finally going back to Africa and can't wait. Following my last blog of our experience of the presentations days run by the Camping and Caravanning Club, we have booked and confirmed our trip. Unfortunately, we missed the escorted tour, which was fully booked, so we decided to do a tailor made and go on our own. I must admit I was rather apprehensive about setting off on an African tour just with Den, but after a bit more thought we decided we could do it. Positive thinking then. Let's hope!! After all we have been to Africa twice before and survived uneaten.

 As we will not quite have the same backup as an escorted tour we decided to book a 4 wheel drive vehicle with a roof tent. The roads in South Africa are generally very good but we thought on the Namibian leg of the journey a 4 x 4 would be better and we will carry 2 spare wheels. We liked the idea of sleeping in a roof tent, up high away from any crawly creatures. This is the vehicle for the trip from Bobo Campers 4 x 4 . We won't have our own loo and shower but as we are staying on fully serviced sites we thought we would be OK. We could have had a "proper " camper which would suit a lot of people, but we managed well last time without and we could venture on rougher roads with a 4 X 4.

Just hope we can cope with this, should be cosy.

 We will be carrying 2 tents so we have a choice and a spare in case of emergencies or we could have a tent each! As we are doing a one way trip we had to carry both tents. We have been supplied with a comprehensive list of equipment so we won't need to bring anything except personal bits and clothes.

Here we are on our last trip at Victoria Falls. Pretty dry as it turned out but still very impressive. Looking forward to going back to Zimbabwe for another look. 

On the road in the Kruger on our first Africa trip, we were really lucky with our animal sightings. Managed to spot 4 of the big five, only missed out on the elusive leopard.

Running for the gate in the Kruger. You have to be out by sundown or 6.30 pm if you are on a day ticket. We just made it!.

 We were so lucky to spot these African Wild dogs in Botswana. They look so cute but we stayed firmly in the vehicle behind glass, especially as they had puppies with them.Look at the teeth.

We will this time only be staying on fenced proper campsites, so in theory we should be safe without an escort. All the campsites will be booked by the C&CC and we decided to follow the same route they use for their tour. We have also booked two excursions, a day trip to be re acquainted with Vic Falls and a sunset trip......somewhere in the Caprivi strip! We are starting our adventure in Johannesburg and spending a weekend with Den's sister and her husband, our partners in crime on the last adventure. We are then travelling up to the Kruger for a few days, then up through Botswana through the Caprivi strip and into Namibia. A few days in Etosha followed by a meander down the coast, through the desert over a few sand dunes and back to Cape Town. I stuck out for a couple of nights in a boutique hotel at the end with a proper bed and shower! In all the trip will be an epic ( for us) adventure, of 40 nights away. Checking out the campsites we will be staying on, they all seem relatively civilised, we hope. Most of the sites also have restaurants or food outlets so hopefully we won't starve. We are looking forward to trying out some local supermarkets so we can cook ourselves when we want to.

Here's our proposed route, covering four countries. South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, around 3,500 miles. We have opted to take our own Sat Nav with Tracks for Africa loaded, we have got some maps but should get further directions for the campsites from Bobo Campers. We will pick up a local Sim for the phone and a data Sim for the mi -fi as we will take a mini lap top. With any luck I may be able to write the blog on the hoof.  

Well, we have had all our jabs ( only typhoid needed this time) everything else is in date. Decided we didn't really need rabies, lets hope we don't get too near to wild dogs or bats. Money sorted, we will take mainly South African Rand ( which you can also use in Namibia) a few Pula, left over from the last Botswana trip, some American Dollars for emergencies and the trusty debit and credit cards, there are ATM's in Africa. As we are going into the malaria zone, we have got a supply of Malarone tablets 30 days worth each. Some were left over from the last trip and I managed to get a new supply from Asda, no prescription needed, you do a questionaire with the pharmacist and they were on special offer at only £1.30 a tablet, a bargain! Travel insurance worldwide courtesy of Nat West Black Account, so we're sorted. We are booked on a 747 this time for the 12 hour flight from Heathrow. We have booked two seats in a block of two so the flight may be a bit more comfy. Just a coach trip to the airport to sort out and we're done.

The Camping and Caravan Club Worldwide dealt with all the bookings including the flights. When the flights were booked we were sent the details so we could book and pay for extras like booking specific  seats, which we did. We were able to tweak the route as much as we wanted but we pretty much stayed with the club recommended route as it's our first solo trip. The lovely Tracy from the club was so patient with us dealing with all our queries very efficiently. She also booked a hotel of our choice in Cape Town recommended by a friend Derwent House Boutique Hotel . Everything is paid for in advance, a deposit on booking and the rest 12 weeks before we go. We thought the prices were very reasonable. The only extras we need to pay for are food, fuel, road tolls and national park fees. Out with the trusty credit card a and a few more points to add to our Tesco vouchers for the Eurotunnel, great recycling!

 Roll on the Autumn. By the way Den, you are not allowed to pack until a week before the trip!!

Camping & Caravanning Club Escorted Tours.

Gloomy days of winter when thoughts turn to summer sun. So it was with us, back in November/December 2016. We had looked at escorted motor home tours and really discounted them as not really what we wanted to do. We are usually quite happy with our own company and generally meet loads of interesting people out on our travels. However, the new brochure which we picked up at a recent show from The Camping and Caravanning Club on escorted tours made us think! Browsing the brochure the prices seemed quite enticing considering the lengths of the trips and they did Africa. Certainly food for thought. We rapidly joined the club and booked up to go on two of their presentation days, one on the European Tours and one on the Worldwide Tours. At the cost of a fiver each a day for a meal, with entry to the museum thrown in, we thought extremely good value for money.

A foggy November morning found us travelling up the M5 to Birmingham and the National Motorbike Museum near the NEC. The venue was easy to find and because we were doing two days, we blew the cash and booked the nearby Premier Inn at the NEC for the same evening, so we could have a leisurely start the next morning. If we had been hardy types we may have considered finding a campsite, but we're not! We decided to take the car but parking was easy and other folk had taken their motor homes. There was a huge car park with lots of room. With some trepidation, we entered the conference centre and found the venue, all very easy so far. The first day was Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays, we had really come to find out about Africa but Japan and New Zealand also looked interesting. 

Years of attending conferences in a former life has always left me a bit jaded about the whole process, but keeping an open mind we got our coffee and biscuits and had a sneaky peek at the other attendees. Very much a mixed bag we thought, mostly retired but then you would have to be in order to spend a month or more away. Lots of people seemed to know each other but it was all very friendly. We made our way into a very large hall laid out with big round tables. Lots of bottled water, sweeties, writing paper and pencils. I guess around a couple of hundred people were in the hall. Everyone got chatting, sharing camping stories and discussing which trips they could be interested in. 

The presentations were all done by the individual tour escorts. All different, depending on their confidence and styles but obviously "done from the heart". All the pictures they showed and the stories they told, came from their own experiences and there was plenty of opportunities for questions. The tour guides were also available during the day to chat individually as were the tour reps. Very much "hand knitted" not a slick performance presentation with a glossy video but more like an honest, neighbourly chat around the holiday snaps. However, the knowledge and information was available to back up what had been said, calm fears, answer queries and enable the customers to make an informed choice. After a lovely lunch, buffet and cooked food available, we settled down for the afternoon session. There was a great deal to cover in a short time but the whole day was well managed and I think the right balance had been struck between giving people information and creating a social event. It was also very reassuring to meet the people who were organising the holidays, as well as people who had been on them.

We left the first day with our minds racing over future possibilities Africa, Japan where next? A pleasant night in The Premier Lodge saw us up and following a filling Full English back at the venue for the European Escorted Tours Day. Some of the attendees appeared familiar, a few others were obviously doing the two days like us. Today was more relaxing for us as we knew what to expect. By the end of the day we had made a kind of list of where we would like to go next. We came home shattered which is hard to understand as we really didn't need to do anything else other than eat, drink and listen!

So. to sum up.

• Worth one or two days out of your life to gather info if you are thinking of a trip.
• Nice, venue, nice food and really good value for money.
• Ample parking. We could have taken our motor home and would have done if we had just been going for a day.
• A nice social event with plenty of opportunities for chatting to people who had done the trips.
• Good, varied presentations with the chance to ask questions.
• Time to meet the reps who actually book the trips and talk to the people you will go with.
• No you do not travel in a convoy. You can be as friendly or as grumpy as you like and participate or not as you see fit in group activities.
• Tours get quickly booked up so you need to really decide a year in advance especially for some of the more popular trips.
• Go with an open mind you may be surprised.
• Discounts of £100 Worldwide and £50 European, if you book.

A month later. Yes, we have now booked. The escorted Tour of Southern Africa for 2017 was sadly for us, fully booked. We are now doing a tailor made trip of Southern Africa taking in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. All booked for us by a very patient Tracy at Worldwide, who we met at the presentation day and a European Tour of Greece, provisionally booked for next year. We will be following the same tour as the club do, but we will be on our own, two previous trips hopefully mean we know what we are doing.  We decided to book a 4 wheel drive with roof tent rather than a motor home, time will tell if it is a good decision. We are going for around 39 days starting the trip in Johannesburg, with a weekend staying with relatives and ending the trip with a couple of days in  a boutique hotel in Cape Town. So excited, can't wait. A great start to proper retirement.

A Tranquil Visit To The Welsh Hills.

A week in October loomed nearer, so we decided to book some campsites in Wales. As it was half term week we thought perhaps sites would be busy. Contrary to normal practice for us, we booked three sites in Wales. All part of the Tranquil Parks scheme we chose three sites in nearish proximity to each other and booked three nights on each.

Unusual for us to be so organised. Sites booked and paid for, April loaded and off we went. A Saturday morning trip up through Wales to our first stop Red Kite Touring Park
near LLandiloes around 2.5 hours from Bristol on the scenic route. I have to say the drive through the countryside was spectacular with the beautiful Autumn colours just breaking through. We arrived at the campsite ably found by Madam SatNag to find this beautiful setting over looking the valley. 

The site is brand new and money has been spent on landscaping and making sure the facilities were immaculate. We set April up and went on a quick recci into town. Using the path from the campsite, a brisk mile walk downhill to the town of LLandilioes. A pretty little place with a park, loads of restaurants, pubs and other eateries, a small supermarket and other local shops. A lovely walk, although the return trip was a climb, still part of the "keep fit" plan! 

Below the camp site is a holiday home park run by the same people we think. I took some pictures of the lovely new flower beds, ideas for our garden perhaps?

Once we were settled in we planned a few walks for the following day. The site is well placed for a number of well marked walks we chose one for the next day, Nant y Geifr and Severn Valley.

As budding walkers we are beginning to learn our way around the maps but usually follow way marked trails where we can. We set off on the first walk with great enthusiasm, banana and water packed in our back packers. Equipped for sun or showers, we followed the directions carefully. Everything was going so well, three miles later it said, "turn left by the red telephone box". There it was clearly marked on the map, but did it really ever exist? We found the telegraph poles, we found the place where the box should have been but we never found the reservoir. Eventually, we gave up and retraced our steps back, never mind 7 miles under our belt for walk 1.

Day 3 in the Welsh hills dawned misty and dry. Off again, this time we would complete the walk and we did. Absolutely beautiful, following Glyndwr's Way up through Alit Goch Woods. The path was steep but well marked this time we stayed on track.

Ever upwards to the top of Garth Hill. The walk said it was a moderate climb!

When we finally got to the top it was worth it.

We worked our way around the walk until we got the the path near the Llyn Clywedog, through the farmyard it said. A very nice Welsh farmer helped us out with directions and we were soon on track again and wending our way through the woods tired but pleased with ourselves and a few more miles to add to the total.

Having forded the river, braved the cows and climbed the mountain, we safely made it back. A nice meal in a local eatery and we slept really well. The next morning on our way to the next campsite we drove up to the reservoir for a proper look. The start of the River Severn and loads of lovely walks for exploring another day. Certainly worth a return visit.

Our next stop was Wheathill Touring Park on the Shropshire border, another Tranquil Site. We had a call from them telling us the road to the campsite was shut but to ignore the signs and carry on. True to their instructions we safely arrived at the site at around lunchtime. and were soon sited and ready to explore. 

The site is undergoing expansion at the moment and a new toilet block and hard standing pitches are going in over the winter.

Someone is spending their pennies. The facilities were very good and the pitches huge. Our only criticism would be everything is a bit grey! In the summer when the flowers are out is probably looks more inviting but we felt they could have left a bit more grass. We decided to take a little ramble to the nearest shop. Two miles it said on the board! Believe me, at least 3 miles there according to Mr Garmin and not a good road to walk on it was do fast! Being townies we are used to a stately 20 miles an hour and smog, in Bristol 30 mph is fast and that's in the early hours of the morning. The B road outside the campsite was scary to walk along and we thought noisy considering it was supposed to be closed. Never mind, we got the exercise although we only did 2 miles along the road and back. We did actually find the shop when we left 3 days later a good 3 miles although with good parking, we could have taken April out. If you go to Wheathill take provisions!

The next morning bright and early we were up and off up a mountain. Opposite the site a beautiful walk along the Shropshire way and up to Brown Clee. Truthfully, we never quite found Brown Clee but the walk was stunning and if we go back we know where we went wrong.

The following, morning boots at the ready, we attacked the radar post on the other side of the hill at Tipperstones. A very hard climb but worth it for the views. We made it almost to the top, I chickened out of the last 200 yards, a bit to sheer for my liking.

 The last post for us, really didn't want to do this last bit. There was probably a car park and a burger van on the other side. Seriously, I think you could drive up to the top so perhaps that's for another time.

Tremendous views across the valley, the hill opposite was the one we climbed the previous day.

Exhausted by all the sheep worrying we wandered back. Passed this on the way, a biker who obviously didn't take enough provisions with him.

We ate at the Three Horseshoes Wheathill very conveniently next door to the camp site. Beautiful meal and the restaurant was very unusual in it's decor. The big question, would we go again? Well, the road is very noisy, but good facilities and nice walks, so yes, if we needed a one nighter and we were in the area.

The next day our final drive. Back into Wales just outside Skenfrith  Three Castles Caravan Park . What a lovely find.

Madam SatNag took us on a slightly longer meander than necessary but we found it. Again, in the middle of nowhere and you do need provisions. If you want posh nosh, The Bell, Skenfrith. is down the track a 10 minute walk away. Other than that, it's 7 miles in either direction to Monmouth or Ross On Wye, so TAKE FOOD!! 

We walked to explore the castle at Skenfrith now managed by The National Trust. 

Mostly ruins but interesting, I love castles and wondering how people actually managed to survive in them.

We wandered into the pub for an expensive glass of wine and laughed at the menu. We may treat ourselves if we go back another time. Not quite sure how those very expensive places keep going, they only have a few rooms. It did seem very quite and they had loads of staff.

The Three Castles site is beautifully maintained and has many regular visitors. The toilet block has individual bathrooms and a small lounge with microwave, TV and seating, great for bad weather days. We managed to find Wifi in the farm yard. The owners work full time but still manage to run the site efficiently and there is a white board to tell you where to park if you book in advance. We thought it would be a beautiful site for a summer stay so certainly on our radar for a return visit. The next 2 days were spent walking and we went on some absolutely stunning walks near the site. A bit misty but not cold.

Orchards, I never knew that this part of Wales was apple country. The orchards provide apples for Thatchers Cider. There is even an apple walk. One to try next time.

Some of the lovely spots we passed on our ambles about.

This was one of the spookiest places I have ever been, deathly quiet and DARK. We escaped unscathed although I was really pleased we didn't manage to get lost here.

It was Halloween and the locals obviously took it to heart. Escapees from the dark wood perhaps.

Strange goings on around these parts.

We will certainly have this site on our return list and only an hour from home.

Roll on the Spring!