Tuesday 24th June
A great night sleep at Southward House - Farmhouse at Wick, then an equally great full English breakfast (gunna be as big as a house when I get back!!) and onto Bath we went. The sun was still shining brightly and we used the very handy 'Park and Ride' from Landsdown (just outside Bath). This was a very quick and hassle free way of getting to the centre of Bath. From the hills down, you get a sense of how beautiful this place is. You could be forgiven for thinking you are driving into Rome or Florence. The architecture, the cobble stone roads, the flower planter boxes and even the residential houses on the hills sides are dripping with the ancient Italian influence. Of course, the Romans were in Bath for nearly six hundred years and certainly left their mark. Like all things Italian, simply Beautiful!
We walked a little way throughout the centre of town, then hopped on the familiar red tourist bus for a ride around the centre of town. With the sun shining, the top floor of these buses are certainly a great way to get around, learn a lot about the place and not miss any of the major attractions.
When in Rome do as the Romans do, right? Well, in Bath you do as the Rommans used to do...we went to the old Roman Baths and had a spa. It was brilliant. The site of the baths have not altered in nearly 2000 years. They have done up the actual spa area, but it is still the hot spring waters (45.6 degrees, Cooled to 35 degrees for bathing) that have been pumping for just about ever. We met a lady, who is now about 80, swimming in the spa. She told us she has used the waters since she was a little girl and believes they are the elixir of life!
We then left the spa waters and walked the sites of the town. At that moment, knowing we had arrived no doubt, they put on a welcoming parade for us! Police on horseback, police guards, army band and the British Army, all marching through the middle of town to the applause of the a big crowd. Very impressive! It was actually a parade to welcome home from Afganistan, an army regiment, who are stationed nearby. Still, very impressive. We then took another bus tour of the outer areas of Bath. This took us again up into the hills, with some magnificent views of a truly beautiful town. You really could spend some time in this place. Loved it!
Back into the car and onto Cardiff. Across the huge Severn Bridge and into mighty Wales. Now, we liked the idea of the Park and Rides, so figured we could stay outside of Cardiff and do the same thing as we did in Bath? Well, we went to west of Cardiff and could not find any accommodation at all...after some traumatic moments, we ended up back near Cardiff airport and ended up in a motel...quite disappointing. But, the bar there didn't close there until 2am!!!! And, breaky was included...happy days!
Wednesday 25 June
A little overcast this morning. A bus stop was right outside our door, so we were able to leave the car in the car park and away we went. Cardiff is a smallish city, with an wonderful history. The place was built with money made from the 'Black Gold' of the area...coal of course. The wharf areas, where the coal was shipped out, are enormous. Between the waterside workers, the miners and the farm areas, it was no doubt once a very tough area.....and a huge Rugby town. We stopped into a sports shop here. You can get any type of rugby jumper here, as long as it is Welsh!
Whilst the Welsh wealth came from coal, the stories of the great tragedies that came with coal mining must have taken their toll. Over the years, so many mining collapses, explosions and slurry slides that took life. In the early 1800's one Welsh mine accident took the entire male population of a small town - 440 men and boys died. In 1964, after persistent heavy rainfall, a coal slurry collapsed and washed down onto a school, killing over 160 children.
Whilst all the mines have now closed, Cardiff is looking to the future. Over ten percent of their population now are Univeristy students. The wharves are being converted to entertainment, restaurant and cultural centres. Very interesting transformation.
Then a drive down the coast to Llanelli to find a larger than life Brad Harrington...we picked a pub overlooking a lovely water course to have a couple of beers and wait for him to find us. Turned out, he lived only a hundred metres away and simply ran over to get us. We went back to find Belinda madly packing......they are moving back to Australia next Thursday! Anyway, Harry quickly set us up in beautiful accommodation (one of the Scarlett's Rugby sponsors!), then later had us picked up by Yo? (Welsh names are impossible to pronounce, so they are happy if you get just a bit of it right!) Yo duly took us to the local 'Hut' to watch Harry play in a Twenty Twenty cricket game. We then all had dinner at a local pub...another Scarlett Rugby sponsor, and plenty more beers.......in fact, way way too many beers. Took me 24 hours to recover! Oh dear...
Thursday 26th June
After a late sleep in (comatosed), we took Brad and Belinda's tip and drove down to a place further on the coast named Tenby. The drive down was terrific, passing through many quaint farming villages, with beautiful landscapes and views. It was raining and quite cold, but we expected this weather. The town itself was amazing. Picture postcard stuff. Sandy beaches, fishing boats resting on their sides because of the huge tidal flows, multicoloured buildings along the point and remnants of the old castle walls that once surrounded and protected the township. Did I mention the place has about four different lolly shops??
The Tenby photos are on Facebook, for some reason I cannot get them to load on blogspot.....glen I think it has something to do with the new camera cards format.....help!
We later returned and had dinner with the Harrington family and had an early night...still suffering a little!
Friday 27 June
Big brekky again, then off to sort out our journey to Ireland. Because we are taking a hire car to 'another country' we had to obtain more insurance. Over 90 quid!!! They say the reason for the extra expense was to cover costs of retrieving the vehicle should it break down etc. The thing is, had we gone to Northern Ireland, there was no need to obtain that insurance. Go figure??
Anyway, with the help of Harry, we sorted it and said our goodbyes to the Harringtons, until we see them back in the Shire. We then drove to Fishguard, about an hour and a half away, to get on the ferry. The trip was made through some torrential rain, but we made it fine. Then onto the big Stenna Line ferry and off to the Emerald Isle. A very smooth trip, no dramas at all and the sun has now come out. Can't wait to see this place, we have heard so much about it. Who hoo!
Stay tuned for Ireland peeps!
Cathngreg
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