Up early it was cold outside, -1, frost everywhere. The plan was a trip to London, not for christmas shopping, but for a cultural visit taking two photography exhibitions, and possibly the Leonardo exhibition at the National Gallery. We felt smug as Christmas shopping was all but done, if not wrapped. The roads to Berkhamsted were icy but the temperature was now a balmy +2. We nabbed the last parking space near the station, and jumped on the 0900 train to Euston.
I remembered that I had seen a photo of a Lego Christmas tree at St Pancras, so we agreed to swing by. It turned to be not as impressive as I imagined it might be. It was big, green and covered in lights and baubles tree, and 100÷ Lego. I took a few pictures while Helen resisted the lure of the champagne bar, then headed out to get the 59 back to Euston and on to the Imperial War Museum. It had started to rain.
We had booked up to see the Don McCullin exhibition the night before. Don McCullin is a famous war photographer, I am sure you will have see his work in the sunday supplements between the 60’s and 90’s. The most famous one is the close up of shell shocked soldier with the thousand yard stare. The exhibition was good with plenty of articles that McCullin had donated, including the Nikon with the AK47 bullet hole. The was an interesting interview video of McCullin and his stories of how he got into with anecdotes of war, and his subsequent shift away from war photography and into Landscape photography. We thought about lunch at IWM but decide that something on the Southbank near our next port of call might offer a better choice than the cafe.
The Imperial War Museum panorama
We jumped back on the 59 bus and got off at Southbank, on Waterloo Bridge. The regular Slow Food market was on by the Haymarket, but although tempting it was too cold for al fresco eating. We even fore went buying some nice bread because we were travelling light and did not want any luggage.
Helen spotted a Pizza Express so we popped in for some fast food. It was the same one we took the took the Australians to some years, it might even have made it on to the blog, just.
Suitably replete we headed to The National Theatre to take a look at the Landscape photographer of the year exhibition, and it was brilliant, all the photos where printed and well lit, a real inspiration to any photographer. A sign of the times hardly any of the pictures were taken on film. Many used the Canon 10-22mm EFS lens that I like own and like so much. We headed out and took some pictures and video of the north bank of the Thames which was looking glorious in the winter sun.
The National Gallery, London
Out final destination was the National Gallery se we jumped on the 159 over to Trafalgar Square. We asked at the desk they had tickets for 2030! Apparently people queue up at 0700 3 hours before the pace opens just to get tickets. We popped into Waterstones (waste of time) then jumped back on the 59 to Euston, where a fast train was waiting to take us back to Berkhamsted.
Some friendly French people sat in the seats near us, and after exchanging a few word in French they started asking me French grammar questions. is it Londonien or Londonienne? How should I know. We were back home by 17:00 for some left over soup from yesterday. All in all a great day out if a little cold.
It is the weekend of the London to Brighton vintage car run (#LBVCR) and as is traditional Helen and I are participating with a good friend Rory, who has a 1903 Humberette. I went over on Saturday to buff up the brass and polish the paint work before loading the car on to the trailer and securing it for the journey to Hyde Park on the Sunday. As usual Rory & Rob were bickering over the lack of preparation on Rory’s behalf and the right way to do things.
We were in bed by 20:00 because we had to be round Rory’s at 05:00 to leave. Helen was up and 04:00 and I surfaced at 04:35 and we made it to Rory’s by 05:00. Whilst sorting out stuff at home we got a call from Helens mum she had decided to cadge a lift to near Brighton to visit a relative. We picked up Helen’s mum of the way after leaving only 5 minutes after the planned time. Strangely we ended up in front of the others despite not having overtaken them, turns out that had also picked someone up on the way. I let them overtake and followed them down to Hyde Park.
Parking is never a problem at that time of the morning and we were soon over by the Serpentine, watching the pigeons lying round in a large flock. As predicted we were there far earlier than we needed to be, it was 06:15 and we had a 07:20 start so we went to the cafe that was doing a roaring trade and relaxed for a while. Back out at the start queue we chatted and took a few pictures then the 6 minute warning sign came round, the driver struggled to get the car started again but a small drop of magic juice from a very old bottle with a nozzle seemed to do the trick, I didn’t ask what was in it sometimes it is best not to know.
We hurried back to may car and joined the 50 mile traffic jam to Brighton Madeira drive. It did not take too long to catch up with the old crock, I think it was around Purley. When we got to Streatham we had to be diverted off the usual route because the police had cordoned off the high street. Not a problem for my car but it involved a hill so some of the old crocks were slowed significantly. The Humberette just a about made it. Around Croydon we did a passenger change then we stopped again for a coffee and a swap over at around Merstham.
We were now into the usual routine and plodded on down to Crawley for the official coffee stop, where we all met up at the White Hart, for a beer. Rory had managed to upset a local taxi driver by nipping into a free parking space that the taxi driver had been waiting for. Even worse was to come as when we left Mark left his car in Crawley but not before swapping spaces with Rory’s car and again upsetting the locals. The traffic normally gets worse as you leave Crawley and everyone is now up and about, this year was no exception.
The weather was holding out, i.e. it was not raining, but it was overcast so not really ideal for taking photo’s, never the less I had a go at the technique where you set a long shutter speak 30th/60th and follow the motion of a car in the hope of getting a blurred back ground and static subject, essentially giving the picture a sense of speed. You can see the best shot in the post.
We passed Pease Pottage, which I only mention because of the strange sounding name. Then we we over the big hills without a fuss. We dropped off Helen’s mum and then did a final meet up with the car at the slip round just before the Needles, then headed to the west of the railway to dump the car at the NCP near the Travelodge, interestingly we were spending more to accommodate the car for a night than we were on ourselves, the NCP was £25 for 24hours and the room was booked early for £23.50.
Down on Madeira drive we met up with the others, the hospitality was not up to the usual standard as they were clipping the passes if you asked for more than one portion, and they were serving only the participant tickets. After sting around in the cold for a while we sent the girls off back to the hotel while the men packed the car up on the trailer for transport back to base.
We met up in the hotel lobby at 19:00 and the veggies outnumbered the meat eaters so we went to Food for Friends a veggie restaurant we had been to a few years before. I had a Thai platter followed by a Haloumi massala both of which I would recommend. We retired at 22:00 for some well earned shut eye.
On Monday we all met up at in reception and headed out to get some breakfast, as we had decided to splash out on a nice breakfast rather than the pretty basic fare at the Travelodge. It was really handy that The Independent on Saturday had a feature of the 50 best places to eat breakfast. There was one in Bright called Bills Placein and old bus depot. I must say that it is highly recommended, I had the veggie breakfast which was two slices of toast with Guacamole on one and Humus on the other topped with tomato’s, mushrooms and poached eggs, topped off with a sweet chilli sauce.
Suitably refreshed it was off round the shops of the lanes to see what we could find. I bought a pair of slippers and a print of a Treecreeper for the lounge wall. At around 13:00 we all met up said our good byes and headed home picking Helen’s mum on the way.
First I would like to thanks Steve for this post hes texted me to check if I was OK as he had not seen any posts for a while. Angela also gets a mention as she also mentioned the lack of new material. So spurred on by our fans here is a post for our weekend away at the Eels Foot Inn, yes another weekend at the excellent pub.
We left work on the dot and went back to base camp grabbed our luggage and set off to Hotel Baldwin where Kev n kids, had delayed thier departure so we could doa a quick “Say hello and wave good bye”. Mum made an excellent pasta dish despite having been eaten out of house and home.
We were up in good time as the cleaner were due at 09:00 and we had to get to the Lord Nelson by 12:00 to meet H&N, we had our doubts about them being thier by that time but we could not let them get there and us not be their. We decided to take a slight detour via Harleston (where we heard for N&H and yea they were running later than they anticipated) and then Denton to check out the grand parent grave. We did a quick tour of the shops in Harleston and had coffee and cake on the less busy back road that cirecles the main part of town.
We set off again and easily remembered the route to Denton, we we parked up at the church car park and without too much trouble found the head stone. I quickly took a set of panorama shots so watch this space for the results.
We left for the final leg of the journey, which was very pleasant as the weather was fantastic and the country side stunning. We arrived at Southwold around about 13:00 and went for a walk down to the pier as H&N were going to be another 30 minutres.
The high street and sea front were packed, it was the end of half-term and everyone seemed to be making the most of the weather. Down on the pier we had a quick look at the Down on the pier show http://www.underthepier.com/ which is a strange version of the traditional penny arcade and consists of machines to take your money but they are all somehow mechanic and brilliantly crass. Neil had a go on the frogger style game involing a zimmer frame crossing the road but the screen image came from a really camera pointing at a model road with moving lanes.
Met H & N at Lord Nelson, for a pint, and something to eat, I also paid for a T Shirt which they promised to post when new stock came in. Next on the agenda was some shopping. Both bookshops closed down and W H Smiths are moving in. N and I stood watching them replacing the wooden floor. Not very successful shopping trip but brought some heidi & cheese onion pies for lunch the next day. I took the opportunity to rtake another set of papnorama pictures, which when I get back to my own house will certainly post if worthy.
We left southwold and headed to The Eels Foot in it was late afternoon, lucky someone was around to let us have our room keys. We quicly settled in then walked a few hundred yards down the road to look at the field where the Barn Owls hunt. We were not let down, it is amazing how you can almost guarantee to see an owl as long as the weather is right. We saw at least two which at one point were both perched on the fence of the house on the bend.
Back to pub where N and Helen headed to the bat at 6pm in order to secure a table. Good job as 5 mins later they were all full. I joined them later and H was already there. Food was the usual fare I had fish n chips, and few pints of Adnams, wisely we were in bed by 10pm.
Sat am – cloudy, misty. Excellent fry up with veggie sausages, muchrooms, toms n scambled eggs, with beans on toast and a sausage for Helen. We then performed an elaborate car shufffle where by we left my car at Warblerwick then headed back to the pub in N’s. The women watched the Grand Prix qualifying. When they returned, we headed out circa 10.45am, fortunately remembering the pies for lunch.
We walked towards Minsmere but then headed off through the woods behind the reserve. We were hoping that mushroom season would be at its high, however the dry weather seemed to have delayed their growth and there were not as many about as we had hoped, Helen got a few pics though. Excellent views of a goldcrest then turned right towards Dunwich Heath. Wallked past the pie bench of yester year. No sight of Dartford warblers on Dunwich Heath. Crossed the road then into the dark and into spooky pinewoods that lead to the Dunwich cliffs and priory remains. As ever I was determind to peer over the cliffs although H backed up wisely once the word overhang was mentioned. Followed the path down to Dunwich itself. Sun was shining by now so we voted for a quick pint at in the beer garden of The Ship pub (which, should you ever find yourself pieless in the vicinity, does good food).
Down to Dunwich beach, where we ate the pies along with some chips from the cafe at the beach. A couple of brave swimmers. Discussion of choice of route for the next leg to Walberswick, where we plumped for the least populated option. So it was up the road past the church (passing several ladies with bodrums, the purpose of which we will never know). Headed up the stony track alongside Dunwich forest, overlooking the marshes. We saw excellent views of a goldcrest, and a jay and chaffinch enjoying the puddles. Past some rather lovely houses to a view over the march at Walberswick, where we saw lots of wildfowl. Through a gate onto the reserve itself and followed the raised path sea defence through the reedbeds back to Walberswick. Drove back to Eels Foot Inn for a rest I was soon aback out thpugh, back to the Barn Owl field, where I saw no less that 3 owls a marsh harrier and couple of unidentified waders flushed by the owls quartering the fields. What a a great spectacle for early Saturday evening, far better than Strickly!
N and Helen headed off to try to make sure we got a table, whilst I had a shower. They were lucky to get a table as the pub was very busy with a couple of large parties but as usual service and food were good. Neil & N had veggie lasagne. A few pints/glasses were drunk, and we ended up chatting to a friendly chap who had a Scottie dog, and who was a frequest visitor to the area, in between climbing the hills and mountains of Britain (including camping in the snowy Lake District last winter!). One last drink and some bemused observation of the rather drunk party who were drinking Zambuca (rather them than us!). Then off to bed and remembered to put the clock back too.
Up for another excellent breakfast at 8.30am, a bit of a record in that none of the party were suffering from hangovers. We must be getting older & wiser 🙂 Watched the start of the Grand Prix then off to Minsmere for another walk. There is a great deal of development happening at Minsmere, on the Visitor Centre, North Wall & sea defences. Off through the woods to the edge of Dunwich Heath. Fleeting glimpses of a bird we would have loved to have been a Dartford Warbler however we just did not see enough of it to be sure. Saw an optimistic mushroomer but he only had one in his basket.
Across the heath sighting a large group of deer grazing in the heather, then a coffee stop at Lighthousekeepers cottages. It was getting a bit chillier with the sea breeze. Another brave swimmer who then proceeded to disrobe entirely. We peered stalwartly at the sea until he had had a chance to gather himself together and then a trudge across the shingle towards east Hide. Saw a small flock of greenfinch and cormorants en route. Hide was busy but we did not have to wait too long for a window seat. Lots of wildfowl and black-tailed godwit, a couple of Berwick swans and three avocet. Then on to sluice bushes. Saw a robin and heard a wren, but no rare warblers unfortunately! Then back towards the visitor centre, admiring a ruff, redshank and little egret on the way.
We had some lunch at the visitor centre and spotted an unexpected treecreeper near the cafe. Then becauses we had’nt eaten our own bodyweight this weekend, thought we should probably have a cake, purely in the interests of supporting the RSPB you understand. Then it was, sadly, farewell to H&N and homeward bound down the very lovely A12, M25 & A41.
Monday is always the first day of a holiday i.e. the first day you are not at work when you would normally be at work. Today is a trip to a National Trust property called Arlington Court.
After the storm Taffy and I headed up the coast in hope of finding some breaking waves, but although we found some very windy spots we could not find a coast facing the right way with an harbour wall, probably because it would be silly to build a harbour wall exposed to the prevailing weather.
We got back to the hut and soon we were off to the NT property. The owners of the property were collectors of tut, and it is in glass cabinets everywhere. There is a walk round the property that is about 2 miles long.
After a very pleasant evening in the Eel’s Foot with a few pints and an enjoyable chat with a couple from Cambridge whom we happened to sit next to, we were again up early for the Eels Foot fry up. Unfortunately no vegetarian sausages but lots of toast so very well fuelled as we checked out and headed off to Minsmere. The choice for today’s amble had been subject to much discussion, but decided we could not do better than simply do a circular route centring on Minsmere safe in the knowledge that a coffee and excellent cake could be assured at the end of our walk.
We parked at the visitor centre and grabbed a “what’s about” to get a heads up of what we should be keeping an eye out for. Not many people about yet and we headed off through the woods and soon came across a tit flock in an oak tree, which included two treecreepers, a greated spotted woodpecker, great & long tailed tits. We stopped at Bittern hide, unfortunately not repeating Neils success on Saturday but saw good views of a little grebe and chick. Continued to Island Mere where we saw a bar head goose, which is one of thos e “does what it says on the tin” birds, i.e. is a goose with striped bars on it’s head. Usefully.
Coastguard cottages Dunwich
We pottered on in the sunshine, so coats off, crossing the road at Scotts Hall where a berry laden treee held tantilising views of, as ever, unidentified warblers. The down the bridleway towards Dunwich Heath. The mushrooms has started to appear and Neil got a few photos and the chance to try out his fish eye lens. Another tit flock but could’nt spot the accompanying goldcrest that could be heard and more flipping mystery warblers! Reached the Heath where is was getting a bit busier as the sun drew people out but we took to long way round and managed to secure the seat at the centre of the heath in another unsuccessful attempt to spot Dartford warbler. It’s a bit worrying after we did not see any yesterday
and hope that is just us getting there at the wrong time rather than the after effects of a tough winter for them. We did manage to see the stone chat so that and a cheese toastie at Lighthouse cottages was some compensation.
Refuelled we went down to the sea where, despite there being a chilly wind there were several swimmers. We called in at East Hide to see the sanderling, black tailed godwit, avocets and wildfowl and walked on round the reserve. We reached on point where several birders were starring intently at a bush at a ……..wheatear! A lovely looking bird but we anticipated a mega from the number of watchers. Neil whispered he initially though it must be some special sort of wheatear. Sun came out so Neil took his coat off, then of course it went back in again. The BBC should use his coat wearing a some sort of weather prediction method.
Carrot cake, yummmm
Then lastly we popped into West Hide where it was surprisingly quiet after yesterday, until we spotted the sparrowhawk perched on one island which explained the rest of the birds shuffling quietly away on titpoe. We saw a distant greenhank and another avocet. The back to the visitor centre for coffee and cake and some light shopping (me) before heading back Chiltern-wards at 3.00pm.
We were in bed early last night, and I woke up about 06:30, by 7 I had had enough so I got up and went down to island mere hide. I parked near Scots Hall (not sure is that is allowed!) and walked into the reed beds. No one else was in the hide, the mere was quite full of water after the recent rain, and there were not many birds about. Geese were flying in and out in formation, and I spotted a juvenile Marsh Harrier. I had not bothered getting the scope out but then spotted a Bittern on the far side, by the time I got it set up the bird had gone.
Ragwort
Soon after I spotted another one further along this time I had the benefit of the scope, it was at the edge of the reeds looking up in the classic pose, then it barked and flew along the reeds and dropped out of site. Just before I left I spotted another one.
Breakfast was as usual great but they did not have veggie sausages but they promised some for tomorrow. After breakfast we sorted out our gear and headed in land along the Minsmere river.
The we then did a second side of a triangular route across Westleton heath where the Heather was in full bloom very purple and very fragrant. There were two distinct colours one very vibrant purple the other more pastel in colour. It was still early’ish and we had the place almost to our selves and the weather was getting warmer and sunnier.
Number 98
By the time we got to Dunwich church we had not had a break so we sat on the bench and had half a snack bar each. After a nice rest we walked up the village high street and down to the fish and chip shop over looking Dingle marsh and the car park. Helen had veggie burger and because she said it is the law that if they are offered they have to be taken in case the proprietor thinks demand has dropped. It turns out that the burgers were deep fried vegetable fritters and there was no bun! I ended up having one of them.
Once Helen was tired of the wasps we went over to the beach where there were a few swimmers bracing the North Sea temperatures. After some time relaxing on the beach we headed back up the hill towards the light house cottages.
Just past Grey Friars we heard a great but distant thunder clap. To our west there was a very big and dark anvil shaped cloud, and it was heading our direction. Soon after it started to rain, but as soon as we had unpacked the poncho and got it on the rain had stopped. The storm was heading past just to the north of us, we surmised that if we had stayed much longer at Dunwich we would have got soaked the storm continued to flash and rumble for the next half an hour. We found a bench on Dunwich heath and looked for Dartford warblers, but apart from stonechats and wood pigeons we were out of luck. There was a brief flash of grey at one point but not good enough to get an id of any bird.
Hail stones
At coast guard cottages we had coffee and shared a cake, then a bit of sea watching and a pee. We then headed down to the beach and on to the main part of Minsmere RSPB reserve. The storm was heading away out to sea but you could still see lightning and hear thunder. Over towards Eastbriddge we could see some more dark clouds so we got a speed on, the plan was to go to a hide for a while before heading back. We just about made the hide before it started raining trouble was the hide looked out over scrapes but hey were empty because the Terns that would normalhangout there had left for sunnier clims, so I put on my poncho and Helen her rain gear and we walked back towards Mere hide in the hope of seeing another Bittern.
The rain did not last long and the sun came out the light was warm and brilliant for taking photos, so I did! Not muchaction going on in the hide, which was deserted. We got a few more ticks that had evaded us earlier in the day (Tufted, Great-Crested Grebe, and Little Grebe), but no Bittern in site. Later a man turned up with a 500mm f2.8 Canon lens (£5,000) hoping to get a Bittern fly by, if he got one the light was perfect. Feet suitabkly rested we left the hide for the final push back to the hide it was already 17:30 and I reckoned it would take 30minutes to get back to the pub, Helen reckoned longer 40minutes.
Storm over abbey
Rather than take the road back we turned away from The Eels Foot and walkked past Sotts Hall and joined the bridleway that runs parallel. We were both knackered and Helen needed a fruit bar to avoid a trough, 35 minutes later we were at the last corner before the pub, so I guess Helen was right about the time it would take to get back.
All day we had failed to find a Tit flock but just as we got back to the river Minsmere we spotted one so Blue Tit and Long-tailed wer added tothe day list. Then I spotted a Treecreeper it was really close and hunting insects on the small branches, the view was fantastic. Suitably rewarded we headed back to the pub it had taken 40 minutes!
We had walked about 12-13 miles and been out for just short of 9 hours which is probably a record for us. We quickly freshened up and heaed to the bar for a well earned pint and some pub food, the end of a perfect day.
Just to prove we can be predictable we are off to The Eels Foot Inn for the August bank holiday just like we did last year. However this year we have no excuse we are just going because we want to and we can.
We left my folks at about 11ish after having spent the night. Dad now has iPlayer via the Wii I gave them.
The famous Minsmere blocks
We stopped for a comfort break on the B1120 at the South Suffolk show ground which was a collection of shacks trying to be a village of shops. I was not convinced but the broccoli, stilton and sweetcorn pastie was lovely. We got to Minsmere at about 14:00 parked up and headed the wrong way round because the north wall is shut till February 2012. We had ticked off most of the waders on the what’s about sheet from the west hide, then headed off down towards the bushes around the sluice, for some reason they call them the sluice bushes.
We saw some little brown jobs then headed on to the east hide where some RSPB staff were adjusting a pump to stop something flooding while the north wall works progress. We had some great views of godwit, sanderling, and ruff.
On the way back retracing our steps it started to rain so we popped back in the first hide to wait for it to stop. We finally spotted the ringed plovers that had evaded us up till that point.
We were in the hide for about an hour and it looked like the rain was really set in, but eventually we noticed that it had stopped. We headed back to the car park then were soon back at The Eels Foot Inn.
Thistle
We were in the bar early it guaranteed a table and means we would be in bed early and therefore ready to get up and go early in the morning. I had fish and chips again and Helen had veggie lasagne both were very good. There is a new chef and looking at the specials the food is getting better. Not that it was lacking previously, just that apart from the usual pub fare there are some more unusual dishes, tomorrow I may have smoked haddock, leek, saffron and pea risotto!
We had a free Saturday and thought a trip to London was well overdue, I know I went last weekend but Helen did not accompany me so it does not count. The trigger for going was that the press Photographer of the Year exhibition was on at the National Theatre, it is almost like an annual pilgrimage to go to see the great photo’s which are a reminder of what has been happening in the previous year. We needed something else to fill in the rest of the day and decided on the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy an show we have never managed to attend despite it being quite an important event in the art calendar.
Lifes a beach Southend on sea
We did the usual thing of parking in Berkhamsted and getting the train to Euston. We arrived with 10 minutes to spare bought a newspaper to read on the way and the train departed on time. We were at Euston by 09:30 and we got the 68 bus to Waterloo Bridge and were looking round the exhibition by 10:00. The National Theatre lobby area is quite a large space and is carpeted throughout so it is a really quiet space. There were quite a few people tucked away in corners tapping away at their laptops, you wander what their story is and why they go to the NT to do their work. My guess is that it is a nice quiet place with very little distractions.
The Press Photographer of the Year Exhibition 2011 lived up to our expectations, there were some really great pictures. A couple that spring to mind were a picture of a father and child in the Bangladesh floods, it is at night and they are walking towards the camera up to their knees in water, there are bright lights behind them giving their silhouettes a halo, the son is a step or two behind the father and his face is lit by the light reflecting off of the father light coloured clothing. The second picture was a snapshot of a cricket match tightly framing the wicket where a batsman is being judged out by the umpire, the bowler and a couple of fielders are in view, there is so much going on i the picture and it just seems to have locked in time an important point in a cricket match.
The last double screw steam tug in the uk
We next headed over to the Royal Academy on foot heading over the river via Golden Jubilee Bridge. There are some strange things to see on the bridge. One of the bridge footings has quite a few broken skateboards on it most of the broken and all of them without trucks or wheels. Perhaps their is a tradition where kids who break their boards on the Southbank chuck them off the bridge. As we passed Trafalgar square there seemed to be a bomb alert going on outside outside a building to the south on the junction to Whitehall there was a bicycle covered in bags, it looked like it was probably the possessions of a homeless person but the police cannot be too careful, so the area was cordoned off. We moved on swiftly.
There was a queue for tickets at the Royal Academy we waited in line for our tickets then went and had a coffee in the courtyard where there are also buildings of other Royal things the Royal Geographic society, the Royal Chemistry Society, and the Royal Astronomical Society. With my coffee I had a sort of Chelsea bun but instead of raisins and custard it had hazel nuts and chocolate it was a very tasty alternative.
The Summer Exhibition was very interesting, because the exhibition is open to all comers you get a real rag bag of art. Pictures cover all medium from photography through woodcuts, pastels, drawings to oil paintings. There is also sculpture and architectural models and drawings. It took us over an hour to get round all the rooms.
A london Thameside pub
Fortnum and Mason’s was opposite so we could not resist a quick look round. We did not buy anything but is was great to look at all the lovely food on offer. I have to say that the fresh produce looked very good and the prices although not cheap seemed reasonable considering the quality. We hopped on a bus and headed towards Foyles for the obligatory look round the fantastic book shop, but I spotted a Cotswold outdoor shop and we had to get off at Picadilly and walk back, I thought there might be a chance to get some shoes I had tried in Cornwall but could not get the correct size. It turns out they had a pair of Haglöfs approach shoes in my size so I purchased them and we were soon back on another bus to the book shop.
Helen purchased no less that two bags of books, and I bought none after the £115 spend on shoes, but Helen insisted on a taxi to Euston, so a taxi to Euston it was. It turns out that the rush was a bit of a waste of time as there was a signalling problem at Bletchley and all the trains beyond Watford were seriously delayed or cancelled. We wnt outside and got soe lunch, for me some udon and pumpling soup for the asian take away stand.
We decided to get a train to Watford and then decide what to do when we got there. As it turns out the slow train to Watford was overtaken by a few southern trains so we were able to get the next train from Watford to Berkhamsted, which strangley was completely empty. That was the end of a lovely day out.
After our exciting sea trip, we decided to admire the beauties that inland Wales has to offer this morning. Water was still involved however we did not have to be on it on this occasion, although some members of the party did still manage to get wet. After an impressive 10 mile run, T returned and prepared a picnic lunch, and off we set for Ystradfellte Falls, a limestone area popular with walkers and cavers. We were hoping to see a dipper a bird we have never seen before. It was a 40 minute run from Cardiff to the Brecon Beacons, whilst C & T explained we were passing through the most deprived area of the UK, with the highest teenage pregnancy rate on one of the most dangerous roads in the area! We were however passing through some beautiful scenery and after turning off the main road, passed a lonely tea wagon parked on an empty layby. T manouvered through the narrow, winding roads and we reached the car park, apparently in the middle of nowhere but had the bonus of a small shop & WC.
Before starting the walk to Ystradfellte Falls we descended a steep path to view one of the entrances to the caves used by those brave enough to explore that route. We could see a small dark cave entrance through which a torrent rushed into
A big waterfall
the darkness. T remembered seeing cavers with suba tanks entering, on his last visit. Round the corner was a larger entrance, called White Horse Cave after the limestone shapes formed on the walls.
We went back up to the path and off we went. Thanks to our early start there was no one about and we walked along the rushing river, carefully watching our step with the many boulders and roots amidst the path, whilst trying to cast an eye riverwards in an attempt to spot dippers, and soon our efforts were rewarded with a brief sighting. As we followed the river we saw what was probably the same bird several times and were able to admire him through the noccas.
There are ten falls in this area so to be honest I am not sure which one we were heading for but after a steep descent we reached one that you can walk behind to pass across to the other side of the river. There had been quite a lot of rain and Helen had no intention of re-enacting scenes from the Last of the Mohicans, so perched on a rock to enjoy the view of the falls instead. T, Neil & C headed off but C wisely decided that she did not want to get soaked and her waterproofs were still in the car. Neil & T of course headed off behind the waterfall, apparently the force of the water was forcing the spray backwards and they both returned rather soaked. Back up the hill for a well earned picnic lunch at the top. We then walked back via Sgwd Clun Gwyn waterfall, the sun was out and lots more people were about by this point. When we got back to the car park, instead of our car and the wardens vehicle as when we left, it was full! We set off home, through a cycle race and when we reached the tea wagon layby we understood the reason for his choice of such an apparently lonely spot. He was inundated by bikers, minibuses and car drivers – talk about scarcity value!
Back to the homestead and then back to Bucks! Thanks T & C for a great weekend. I shall not forget the boat load of relieved, bedraggled tourists breaking into song at the sight of a Lancaster bomber. Marvellous!
