The Green Green Grass of Home

You really can't beat a bit of Tom Jones now can you?  A trip to South Wales seemed the perfect excuse for me to blast Steve with a few of his classics - especially as we drove through Pontypridd (Sir Tom's birthplace).

We were en route from Exeter (where I'd been working) to the lovely Camping and Caravan Club site near Llandovery (Rhandirmwyn to be exact).  The site was perfect - I'm such a huge fan of the C&CC - great locations. a friendly welcome and excellent facilities on site,  It was a bit of a windy road to get there, but worth it for the peace, quiet and secluded views.

We arrived in glorious sunshine so made the most of it with a nice cold beer on the grass next to Delores with nothing but the gentle sound of the River Towy running alongside to disturb us.  The lack of mobile phone signal anywhere around the site is either an absolute blessing or a dreadful curse depending on your viewpoint, but it does make for a wonderfully peaceful stay.

Campsite Entrance

Perfect Pitch

Thanks to the crack on the bonce big hikes continue to remain off limits.  Who knew one tumble could cause so much trouble?  Turns out severe concussion is not to be sniffed at.  I still tire easily and my short term memory remains on the fritz (I just got annoyed with Steve because he didn't understand where we needed to go tomorrow and apparently "at the end of the coast - begins with B but it's not Bognor" failed to convey that I obviously meant Barrow).  The sweet tooth is the part that's foxing me the most - I've always been more of a cheese and crisps kinda gal, but now I've gone all girlie and swoon over large bars of chocolate.  Most odd.  Anyway, back to Wales...

Green

More green

So far as my research can tell me, Green Green Grass of Home wasn't actually written about Wales, but from the short walk we took on our first day you could see why Sir Tom "from the valleys" Jones has made the tune his own.  We only walked about 5 miles in total - from the campsite to the nearby Cwm Rhaeadr Forest but if there was a Buzzword Bingo game of superlatives for "lush green walks" then we'd have checked the lot.

There are a number of clearly signed footpaths through the forest, though the Waterfall Walk does warn you that you will only be able to glimpse the falls at the top.  If that sounds a little harsh then don't be put off - they mean the big falls, there are plenty of lovely views of the smaller falls to enjoy as you make your way through the spectacularly green woodland.  If you want to take your chances shimmying over slippery rocks then there is a rough route to the higher, larger falls. I decided to play it safe and enjoyed a picnic on a big boulder while Steve slipped and slithered his way upwards, treating me to an impromptu Tarzan impression when he lost his footing.

I know I'm going on about it, but it really was all magnificently green.  If I was a proper writer I a) would have used "were" instead of "was" just then and b) would be able to write something beautifully poetic involving words like "verdant" "lush" and "velvety emerald".  As it is you'll just have to make to with my version:  it was green.  Seriously flipping green.

Excellent ancient oak tree along the way that you could crawl inside

Inside the oak tree

River Towy

If there's one thing that greenery needs it's water - though the rain thoughtfully held off until we were back on Delores and planning day 2.  We decided to try a bit of a bike ride to Lynn Brianne- not too far and not too hilly but, it turns out, it was rather too much for me and I panted and wheezed like I'd smoked 40 a day for the past 20 years - still the views were definitely worth it.  (Assuming you're fit and well it's a nice bike ride along fairly quiet roads and it honestly isn't all that hilly).

If you do head off there, watch for the small car park on your left before the main reservoir, it offers superb views of the spillway.

View of the spillway from the lower car park

At the top car park you can access a bridge and walk out over the top of the spillway - and if you're thinking how much fun you could have on there with a giant inner tube or kayak, then these guys are WAY ahead of you...

Suitably exhausted we headed back to the campsite and cosied in for the evening.  The rains returned and, call me weird, but I actually find the drumming of the rain on the roof of the van strangely soporific and I went to bed a happy woman.

When we were away in Gozo, the thing I missed the most was green.  I remember as we came in to land when we arrived I peered out of the window and remarked how brown everything was.  Don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful time over there, but I really did miss the Green Green Grass of Home (you see what I did there, don't you?), so thank you Wales, thank you Rhandirmwyn and thank you Sir Tom.

(And if you're now inspired to visit Wales, take a look at our North Wales blogs that start here.)

Nearly mist the summit...

It was time for our wonderful Welsh adventure to head south a little.  Next destination was Arthog, not too far from Dolgellau.  This time we were at Graig Wen - a Camping and Caravanning Club listed site with superb facilities and drop dead gorgeous views.  (Yes we are big fans of the C&CC - they have a great variety of sites and, because they welcome tents, the facilities even on the smaller sites are usually excellent).

Our first day there was a little murky so we took a walk into Barmouth for a nostalgic trip along memory lane.  At least it was for me as I took childhood holidays there - for Steve it was just a long soggy walk...  We have an excellent way of passing long flat walks when the weather's not too chipper and you're a bit on the tired side - Random Movie Connections.  The game is collaborative not competitive and involves one person naming 2 random movie stars which we both proceed to try and connect via films only.

Barmouth Bridge

For example Lawrence Fishburne and Samuel L Jackson: Lawrence Fishburne was in The Matrix with Keanu Reeves. Keanu Reeves was in Speed with Sandra Bullock.  Sandra Bullock was in Practical Magic with Stockard Channing. Stockard Channing was in Grease with John Travolta and John Travolta was in Pulp Fiction with Samuel L Jackson.

Our rules are that it's movies only, no TV series or marriages etc. and Google is not allowed - but really, you can make your own rules.  It usually passes a good half hour or so as we shout at each other - "you know - him - he was in the one with wotsit - you know - wotsit - with the hair!" and generally alarm passers by.

The true object of our affections for this leg of the tour was Cadair Idris - a very beautiful sweep of peaks just to the south of Dolgellau.  The weather during the morning had been apocalyptic rain but I had faith in the forecast that it would brighten and I was mostly right...

Info board at the start of the walk

The route follows a very pretty stream up through the woods and out into a stunning cwm.

Llyn Cau

Onwards & upwards - I had faith that the mist on the top would clear but Steve had his doubts.  Steve was right (obviously I'm not going to admit that this happens often and will deny this if anyone reminds me of it.)  :-)

View back down to the Cwm

Summit shelter

We're used to hiking in Cumbria so mist holds no fears - apart from stopping every 10 paces to check you're still on the right route - undaunted we soldiered on round to Mynydd Moel.  I reminded Steve how breathtaking the views out over the sea were from this point.  Steve may have glared at me,  I don't really know - the mist was in the way...

We'd enjoyed the hike but it was with a degree of despondency that we began the trek down.  We paused on a rock about 200m down from the summit for one last view of Llyn Cau and to finish the last of the tea and guess what happened?  The mist lifted - fully and completely - giving crystal clear mountain tops.

Well - there was only one thing for it - shove the flask in the rucksack and race back up there,  We were knackered at the top but it was worth it - even if only for me to gasp "I told you so" in between pants.

After half an hour or so the clouds showed signs of returning so we headed back down again.  I think it's fair to say that the route had suffered from some sort of storm damage and the first section is one of the worst descents we've ever attempted.  (I'm not having a go - that's just life in the hills!)

It became such a long, slow and, at times, tedious, challenge that we completed an epic round of Random Movie Connections - connecting Kevin Spacey to Kevin Costner (*our answer is at the end if you're interested!)

Things picked up lower down as we argued over whether portrait or landscape was the best orientation for this scene.

Job done and holibobs now over it was just a case of getting back to the campsite for a long luxurious shower and a glass or two of "essential muscle relaxant" before beddybies.  We've had an absolutely cracking time in Wales and are already busy planning our next trip - gweld chi y flwyddyn nesaf (possibly - hope that's not rude - I'm relying on Google translate to say See you next year!)

* Here's our answer to the Random Movie Connections: Kevin Spacey was in The Usual Suspects with Benicio Del Toro. Benicio Del Toro was in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with Johnny Depp.  Johnny Depp was in Pirates of the Caribbean with Keira Knightly.  Keira Knightly was in Love Actually with Liam Neeson. Liam Neeson was in Star Wars with Ewan McGreggor. Ewan McGreggor was in I Love You Philip Morris with Jim Carey.  Jim Carey was in Bruce Almighty with Morgan Freeman and Morgan Freeman was in Robin Hood with Kevin Costner.  I told you it was a long descent!

Wild in Wales Part 2 - Zippy & Bungle

We are no strangers to zipwire/ high ropes adventures.  We've scared ourselves witless at Calvert Trust in Kielder on their high ropes course, we've tackled the 7 huge zipwires of Go Ape in Grizedale and we've zoomed high across the Eden Project in Cornwall - so I'll admit I was a little blase about scrambling through a few caverns and whizzing across a the zipwires that Zipworld had to offer at their Cavern Adventure in Blaenau Ffestiniog.  That'll teach me.  I can honestly say I haven't had such a brilliantly fun and, at the same time, utterly terrifying adventure for a long time.  "Do something that scares you at least once each day" they say - well I'm good for a week or more now.  (For the record, based on today's performance, Steve's Zippy and I'm most definitely Bungle...)

Criccieth Beach & Castle

We're still camped at the lovely Camping and Caravanning Club Site at Llanystumdwy - it's a small site alongside the A497 near Criccieth with excellent facilities and is the perfect base for exploring the Lleyn Peninsula and Snowdonia.

Zipworld have a number of adventures to choose from, there's the terrifying Velocity zipwire in Bethesda - the longest zipwire in Europe & the fastest in the world (suitable for adrenaline junkies) and the Treetop Nets adventure (suitable for all the family) amongst many others.  Given that the weather was somewhat changeable we opted for the Caverns Adventure - an all weather adventure deep below the ground - what could possibly go wrong?

As instructed we arrived 30 mins before our launch time to sign the obligatory disclaimer and get fitted out with the usual harness etc.  I first became concerned when they said there was a 1 hour training session before we were allowed out on the course - 1 hour?  How scary is this exactly?  I soon found out....

The photo above is of the cavern where the adventure begins.  No photos would do it justice.  Once your comprehensive training is done you're let loose on the course which involves creeping across walls 50 feet plus above the floor of the cavern, zooming along zipwires that zig zag along the length of the cavern, wobbling over rope bridges that would make Indiana Jones think twice and slithering your way over nets suspended hidden so high in the roof of the caverns that I didn't dare look down so can't actually tell you how high they really were.

Oh - and there's crawling through narrow tunnels too - did I mention that?

This is HUGE compared to the tunnels
we crawled through

We've only splashed out on one "tourist experience" during our hols and I'm so glad it was this - it was a superb adventure and I wouldn't hesitate for a second to recommend it.  My only criticism is that at the "rest spot" half way around the course there were no G&Ts on offer - and I could really have used a little Dutch Courage.  (Trust me - take a look at their website and give them a go!)

Once we were done with all the scary stuff we headed back to the site, the sun was out, the skies were blue and the cafe in Criccieth was serving the most amazing hot cherry pancakes.  I'm pretty sure that pure terror burns a lot of calories so I reckon the treat was calorie free, plus the cherries are being counted as one of my "five-a-day".

Tomorrow we're off up Snowdon - a walk in the park after today's adventure surely? (Famous last words!)

Intelligent Life?

"For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much - the wheel, New York, wars and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons." Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

My love for The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy knows no bounds, it is a work of genius and only improves each time I read it.  Dolphins have long held an attraction for humans and whether you simply enjoy watching their seemingly careless frolicking in the waves or are convinced they're trying to communicate a secret message regarding planet's impending doom, they're bound to put a smile on your face.

Fun frolics or doom laden Vogon warnings?

Apart from 1 long distance sighting from Waternish Point on Skye a few weeks ago, dolphins have eluded us.  Or avoided us.  We've been close enough to stags to count the points on their antlers and been dive bombed by giant skuas, but dolphin were still on our "to do" list, or more accurately our "not quite seen properly yet" list.

Our "Active in Scotland" booklet told us that "The Moray Firth is acclaimed as one of the best places in the UK to see dolphins.  Stand at Chanonry Point, Black Isle on land, or enjoy a wildlife boat trip".  We located Chanonry Point on a map and, as luck would have it, there was a Camping and Caravan Club right on the beach at Rosemarkie, within easy walking distance of Dolphin Central.  I'll be honest, ever since we arrived in Scotland we've been bombarded with the "it's easy to see XXX wildlife" messages, and it's usually a bare faced lie - or at least overly optimistic marketing spin - but this time they were right.

If I roll out of bed the wrong side, I may get wet.

When we checked in the lovely wardens told us exactly what time the dolphins showed up and where the best place to see them was.  Then they showed us to our perfect pitch, just 10 yards from the beach and close enough to hear the waves lapping on the shore at high tide.  (As well as the great pitches the facilities here are fab too, super clean loo blocks and very handy info centre.)

We parked up and headed for Chanonry Point where around about a dozen dolphins were already cavorting in the waves, chasing fish and generally having a good time.  I was gob smacked at how close in to the shore they were - I'd taken my binoculars but they were so close I didn't need them.

As close as they look.

After about an hour or so I headed back to sort out dinner leaving Steve to get soaked and take more pics (will upload them when we get home).  We'll be back later this evening for another encounter so prepare for me to turn into a dolphin bore again on social media later...

As well as dolphin watching there are lovely walks along the beach here, nice local pubs and a lovely little community cafe right on the beach with the most impressive memorial benches I've ever seen.  They also do a pretty mean bacon and egg mayo roll, all made with local produce.

This will probably be the last blog I manage before we reach home, it's been a fantastic adventure discovering wildlife and superb beaches so it seems only fitting that our final campsite is perched next to another couple of miles of sandy loveliness.

Right, time for another cold beer now before we take a stroll along the sand to watch the dolphins again this evening.  I've always said you don't need to travel to the ends of the earth to find a piece of paradise and this trip, and especially this site, has proved me right.

On yer bike!

Just a quick blog before we bid farewell to this superb Camping and Caravan Club campsite and head further north.

We were off on our bikes today to Cove at the end of the headland. This area is not only gorgeous it's also full of history, from the Pictish gravestone (one of only 2 on the whole west coast of Scotland) to the importance of Loch Ewe as the starting point for the Russian convoys during World War 2 - the derelict buildings around the headland a poignant reminder of bravery and tragic loss of life.

One thing I've not really mentioned is midges - and that’s because we've barely been troubled by them. I think it's a combination of breezy weather and me wearing enough Skin So Soft to ward them off the entire campsite.  On the bright side my skin will be positively glowing by the time we return!

The campsite  is on the shoreline just left of centre. Stunning!