Monday 13th September 2021 Once again the extreme tides meant that we would have more time than usual on St Martin’s and would therefore have time to walk all round the island, which is the northernmost of the inhabited onesmaking up the Isles of Scilly. The Firethorn dropped us at the quay in Higher Town. In what must surely be one of the most prosaic examples of place naming in the UK, the three main settlements on St Martin’s are called Higher Town, Middle Town and Lower Town, although it could be argued that the use of the word “town” must itself have required quite a feat of imagination: in the 2011 census the island reported a population of just 136. Initially we set off to walk anti-clockwise round the island towards the highest point at its northeast corner on Chapel Down, passing an unexpected vineyard on the way. The highest point is dominated by a large red and white striped daymark or unlighted beacon, reminiscent of the upper section of Tintin’s rocket, which was visible from some distance across the bays and inlets as we walked. The date above the blocked, arched doorway on the daymark reads 1637 but […]
Sunday 12th September 2021 After seeing people floating seemingly effortlessly around Coniston Water and Lake Bala, Robert had been keen to try stand up paddle-boarding [SUP]. We had also seen people inflating them in a car park in Llanberis and so he felt it would be possible to fit them in Al, the camper van. Since a minimum water level is required for a SUP, this was also affected by the tides but we found we could catch the boat to Bryher and hire them from the very helpful people at Hut 62 then catch the boat back. On arrival we were given a life jacket, a SUP and a paddle each and then a brief lesson. It is important not to drag or beach a SUP in case the fin snaps off. Paddle-boarding is all about balance and core strength, neither of which are Matilda’s strong points. She did not manage to stand up from kneeling on the board but her swimming costume did stay dry. She felt she should have practised this on dry land in advance. Robert, however, after a slightly shaky start, managed to stand up and move smoothly round the bay. Although Matilda stayed kneeling, […]
Saturday 11th September 2021 Once again there were limited boats we could catch from Tresco because of the extreme tides. However, this also meant that we would have more time on the island we visited. We therefore waved goodbye to the girls at our cottage and set off to catch a boat to St Mary’s. On the quayside, we saw the helicopter arrive, running only a little late, and watched as it left with the girls on board. Once on St Mary’s we set off to walk around the entire island. The coastal path goes up past Juliet’s and then on to . . . . . . the ancient Iron Age village at Halangy Down. The site was inhabited until around 600-700 AD and the ruins here were uncovered between 1964 and 1977. Much of the stone from the site was removed in the 19th century to build a new pier at Hugh Town. Providing you have line of sight to this modern telecoms tower, you can get a 4G signal on the islands so not everywhere is covered. St Mary’s is known as the site of the tower from which Marconi heard wireless signals transmitted over 30 miles […]
Thursday 9th and Friday 10th September 2021 Since the tide continues to fall as you walk between Tresco and Bryher we had been advised to start walking about 30 minutes before the tide reached its lowest point. About an hour and a half before that, the crossing looked like this. The water soon receded. Eagle-eyed Jaime spotted a baby cuttlefish about the size of a thumbnail in the shallows. Even though it appeared almost transparent, it managed to squirt out a significant amount of black ink in an attempt to scare us off. Although it is called a walking tide . . . . . . on this day it was more like paddling. It was important to watch where you put your feet. Matilda asked the girls to look for interesting shells so that she could keep them as mementoes and say she had picked them up, if not exactly off the ocean floor, then perhaps off the seabed. All four of us . . . . . . made it across safely. Having reached Bryher we had to wait for the tide to rise so that we could catch a boat back. We took a walk . . […]
Wednesday 8th September 2021 After the travel stresses of the previous evening, we decided to treat ourselves to breakfast at the Flying Boat Café and Deli [see Dish of the day]. The extreme low and correspondingly high tides have an impact on the timings of both the Scillonian and the boats between the various islands so although we would have liked to go to St Mary’s to meet our daughters, we found we might not have been able to get the first boat after they landed back to Tresco with them as this was reserved for new arrivals. We therefore stayed on the island to wait for the girls to appear. Matilda had cajoled both daughters into coming to Tresco this year as it coincided with a “walking tide” – one that is low enough to allow people to walk between Tresco and Bryher. At 0.6m it was slightly higher than is recommended for the crossing but it was good enough for us. To fill the time before our daughters’ delayed arrival we took a stroll to the point where it is recommended people start the walk to make sure we knew where to begin the next day. Some people […]
Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th September 2021 We like to break up the journey to the Scillies and take in a few interesting sights on the way. This year our first overnight stay was Charlestown where we had a lovely view over the harbour from our room window. We had visited briefly last year and decided it was so picturesque it would be worth an overnight stay to allow us to sample the local hostelries . . . . . . and the atmosphere at the harbour-side bars in the evening. Well rested after an uncharacteristic lie-in we took a quick stroll in the morning before leaving to take a look at St Austell. Matilda had been expecting a castle keep on a mound, based purely on the brewery logo, but instead we found St Austell Market House which is apparently said to be “the jewel in St Austell’s crown”. During the middle ages markets and fairs were often held in churchyards, but Edward III passed a law prohibiting such events on church land and markets therefore had to relocate. Records show that in 1791 a small market building stood here but the successful town outgrew it and in 1842 […]
Thursday 26th August 2021 As always on these historic railways, the steam engines on the Bala Lake Railway are lovingly restored and cared for with gleaming paintwork and highly polished copper domes. The track was built 150 years ago but was re-opened for passengers in 1972 and follows the shoreline of Llyn Tegid, or Lake Bala, which is the largest natural lake in Wales. Although we had not booked to travel on this line, we went to see one of the trains arriving and . . . . . . watched while they restoked the engine and moved it to the front of the carriages [See Video of the day]. From here, Liz and Martin set off to cycle along the shores of the lake whilst we headed south to Codsall, near Walsall, to visit Robert’s uncle and cousins. It was lovely to be able to catch up after such a long and trying time. We then stayed in a very quiet motorhome site close by prior to travelling home the following day. There are many more trains to ride and we will surely be returning to Wales at some point [Robert will be in October!]. Video of the day:
Wednesday 25th August 2021 Allow us to preface this post with an apology. Those of you who are keen followers may notice that the videos here feature the sister site, Robert on the Rails’ logo. Robert tells Matilda this was a genuine administrative error and not a blatant attempt to promote across the two sites. At LLanberis, Robert was pleased to see that, before the first train of the day leaves, you can watch the fire being stoked and the engines taking on water, in order to get up steam, outside the National Slate Museum. . . . . . which is situated right by the station in the Dinorwig Quarry workshops. Getting our priorities in the right order, we planned to visit the museum after our train ride. We were to be pulled by the engine Dolbadarn, which like all the engines on the line, was rescued from the Dinorwig slate quarries and restored to work the Llanberis Lake Railway. The Llanberis Lake Railway runs alongside Padarn Lake to Penllyn and back. Back at Llanberis station we were able to admire Thomas Bach at work. Thomas was the other steam engine operating that day. But not that Thomas Rising […]
Tuesday 24th August 2021 Liz and Martin again gave us a lift to Porthmadog but this time they were joining us on the 10:15 Glaslyn Venturer from Porthmadog to Beddgelert. This time there was no need to position Matilda as gatekeeper of the carriage as we had pre-booked a premium spot in one of two observation compartments. There are panoramic windows, plush seats for six with small tables and, even at this hour in the morning, Matilda and Liz felt they should be sipping champagne wearing 1930s cocktail dresses. It seems not everyone was buying into the experience with the same enthusiasm. Instead of traversing The Cob, this time we set off in the opposite direction, through Porthmadog itself. We started the journey at the rear of the train with uninterrupted views back down the track. And being at the back of the train provides the opportunity . . . . . . to see the engine and the train as they curve around bends in the track in front. Hot air rises. We know this. But it was nevertheless eerie to see the steam emerging from an uphill tunnel behind us as though a Welsh dragon lurked within breathing […]
Monday 23rd August 2021 It seems that some people feel [mistakenly] that there is such a thing as too many steam trains in one week and our group had therefore opted to follow their divergent interests with Liz and Martin heading off for a serious walk whilst Robert and Matilda went in search of locomotives. Liz and Martin kindly gave us a lift to Porthmadog in time for the 10:00 Woodland Wanderer service from Porthmadog. Our train was to be pulled by the engine Welsh Pony over The Cob to Minffordd, through Penrhyn and on to Tan-y-bwlch. The start of the journey is particularly enjoyable as is travels across The Cob . . . . . . a large embankment with water on either side which took four years to construct and was completed in 1811. Although the journey on a narrow guage train slowly rising to altitude along track flanked by lush vegetation and mountain views reminded us both of the Darjeeling Railway, whenever the track traversed the road it was thankfully marked by gated level crossings so we were spared the incessant hooting and the journey was both beautiful and peaceful. The route took us past the engine […]
Sunday 22nd August 2021 The royal town of Caernarfon lies opposite the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales on the eastern shore of the Menai Straits with Snowdonia rising to the east and south-east. Prince Charles was invested as the Prince of Wales here in 1969. Due to continuing restrictions we had pre-booked a number of things just to be sure and we had agreed in advance to visit Caernarfon city and Castle with Liz and Martin on the following day. They kindly agreed to drive us there in their camper van – Connie – as she is smaller and therefore easier to drive down country roads than Al. We had timed tickets and just managed a quick coffee before going in. Caernarfon is steeped in history from Roman times onwards. William the Conqueror ordered a castle built here as part of an unsuccessful attempt to invade Wales and it now boasts the highest percentage of Welsh speaking citizens anywhere in Wales. The displays emphasise the royal heritage with perhaps a nod to the popularity of Game of Thrones. Even partially in ruins, it is an impressive site. A one way system has been introduced so that you no longer […]
Friday 20th and Saturday 21st August 2021 Although retirement allows us the freedom to plan for our journeys to take place outside school holidays, the restrictions imposed by the pandemic made us eager to travel this summer and enjoy a view across pastures new. Having arranged a trip to Ffestiniog with friends, the drive to north Wales on a Friday in August reminded us why we no longer wish to travel during the peak summer season. The journey to Llangollen took six hours and 20 minutes – nearly two hours longer than expected. We will remember this in future. But it still felt good to be in another country and on arrival at the Gaerhyfryd Campsite near Corwen in Wales all was peace and calm and the warden proved to be very welcoming. Having filled up with water and plugged Al in . . . . . . the warden kindly directed us to The Blue Lion pub in Cynwyd. . . . . . where Robert had to share his knowledge by giving a new member of staff some useful pointers for dealing with lively lager. Matilda was grateful not to have a glass of froth. The following morning […]
Monday 5th to Thursday 15th July 2021 Southwold seems to be becoming an annual event now that we have a motorhome/campervan and, despite the rise in the number of people wishing to holiday in the UK this year, having booked well in advance, we had two pitches at our disposal and had the pleasure of a range of different people staying at varying times. John and Belinda and Clare and Roger had also booked their own pitches for part of the stay. [See Selfie of the day.] Our first visitors were Graham and Dee and there seemed to be some confusion about the best position for their van and awning but fortunately this was eventually resolved. High winds overnight meant that both awnings had to be taken down the following morning. It was a real pleasure to have Graham and Dee join us for a few days at the start of the holiday particularly as . . . . . . this coincided with her birthday. It was great to catch up after such a long time and all the limitations of lockdown. There are wide open views back across the flat Suffolk landscape towards the town from the campsite. […]
Friday 18th June 2021 One of the reasons for downsizing the motorhome to Al was that Matilda had said she would consider driving a smaller vehicle. Although this proves that she can, she does not find it entirely comfortable as her feet did not quite reach the floor and felt as though they were floating she felt this may not provide the best pedal control. Robert was keen to teach her how to use the cruise control but Matilda was adamant that she would take one step at a time. On the way to Coniston, we stopped off at Kendal to visit the Herdy Shop [see Selfie of the day]. It just has to be done. We had pre-booked to go on the Steam Yacht [SY] Gondola on Coniston Water. Launched in 1859 she was built for the Furness Railway and is a screw-propelled, steam-powered vessel. In commercial use until 1936 when she was retired she was converted into a houseboat a decade later. Acquired by the National Trust in the 1970s the derelict vessel was restored and was put back into service in 1979. We watched it return from an earlier cruise. The vessel, originally Victorian, has been rebuilt […]
Tuesday 15th September 2020 On our last morning in Tresco we awoke to low-lying mist and poor visibility and the knowledge that our helicopter flight was likely to be delayed. The mist cleared on the Isles of Scilly by about eleven. However the mist lingered considerably longer on the mainland so four of us spent the majority of the waiting time in glorious sunshine in the cafe at the Abbey Gardens where we saw some beautiful, but camera-shy, red squirrels. The other two members of our bubble had caught a high speed boat to St Mary’s, stopping to view basking grey seals on their way to catch a plane to Land’s End. They too had to fill in time which they did playing cards. We kept in touch as announcements were made and rumours spread and in the end the plane flight from St Mary’s was cancelled and two caught the Scillonian while four of us, after a six hour delay, travelled to Penzance by helicopter and . . . . . . enjoyed the views then . . . . . . passed over the Scillonian and waved. The helicopter also provides a good aerial view of St Michael’s […]
Tuesday 8th to Tuesday 15th September 2020 We decided to take advantage of the recently reinstated helicopter service for the last leg of the journey. The views from the helicopter are fantastic and it was such a pleasure to step out onto Tresco once again. Of course, Robert had to reacquaint himself with the New Inn, at the earliest opportunity. We have never been disappointed in the Isles of Scilly. Despite the limitations imposed by Covid restrictions, this trip to Tresco has been blessed by some beautiful sunny days and great company. This year’s highlights, although not always captured photographically, have included several picturesque pubs with panoramic views. The view from The Ruin Inn, Tresco, towards the Blockhouse and on to St Martins on the left is one of Robert’s all-time favourite bar views. We all enjoyed the mode of transport between islands and . . . . . . the sun, sea and sand. The Scillies feature many sweeping, sandy bays and this is the one next to to the cottage where we stay. One day we took the boat to the isle of St Agnes and found that the tide had uncovered what felt like a narrow tropical […]