maunderings of a Digital Photo enthusiast

Thursday 29th Sept 2011:Last day in the Lakes

2011-09-29T19:57:00.000+01:00

Here again and too soon! the weather is too good to go home!
Ah well, off we went into Keswick first of all to buy some Fudge and Kendall Mint Cake, it was Market day!

Then down to Grasmere to pick up some Gingerbread!
Once that was done, up the "Struggle" where I spotted these beasties

The to Penrith for shopping lunch and fuel, and so to Haweswater

We then retraced our route and passed along Ullswater

And before we knew it the afternoon was gone!
After tea I went for a last evening walk by the lake and spotted this photographer

It was a warm, calm evening, perfect! One last view before returning to start packing....

Wednesday 28th Sept 2011: A lovely warm day

2011-09-28T19:39:00.000+01:00

We had a good tour round, though the amount of mist in the air wasn't helpful when you want to take photographs of the scenery!
Here is a view of Honister Pass where we stopped for morning coffee

We had lunch in Gosforth and visited Wast Water, but it was far too misty to make out any details in the scree slopes, this image of Thirlmere taken later in the afternoon will show why

The temperature even in the high passes was over 20C, hotter than summer, and it was still really warm into the evening.
A very pleasant, but not productive day photo wise!

Tuesday Sept 27 2011: Surprise View and a great tour round

2011-09-28T07:10:00.000+01:00

Sunny at first so we decided to visit Surprise View first

Only a panorama can take in the whole view!
Of course Ashness Bridge had to be next!

We drove down the east shore of Winderemere and as far as Millom in the coast where we had lunch in the Bridge Cafe, (good and not expensive, then came back up the Duddon Valley where the river crashes through the rocks.

then over Wrynose Pass, great views from the top on a clear day.

As we descended the pass i took this one looking over towards Langdale where the peak was nicely lit.

Than back to camp through Ambleside.
On my evening walk I followed the shoreline to this seat where I spent a little very pleasant time...

Monday 26th September: The Solway Firth

2011-09-26T20:41:00.002+01:00

A visit to the coast for a change, we drove up to the shore of the Solway Firth, wild and remote

Then to the front at Silloth after buying sandwiches and these amazing buns at the local baker

Silloth has the strangest sea defences

And was once a thriving coastal resort, but the closure of the railway caused a terminal decline.
Despite this we always enjoy visiting the place as it seems as if time has stood still there!
After tea i went for my usual walk by the lake, it was calm and mild, so a panorama seemed in order.

And I finally produced the postcard to send home from this holiday!

Sunday 25th Sept 2011: Tarn Howes

2011-09-26T07:14:00.001+01:00

Better weather this morning after a night of wind and rain, we drove across to Pemrith to shop, parking in a layby for our morning coffee

Then down to Ambleside, dropping down the hill aptly named "The Struggle" where we had to wait as this group of sweating ladies towed a small car up the hill!

A huge effort, they had already already towed the car up this lot, right from the level of the lake in the distance!

There is quite a view from up here

With it being Sunday Tarn Hows was very busy

But the Warden directed us to park next to his land rover.
And we had a walk down by the lake

We then continued down the old road to Lake Coniston

Down by the lake the sun was modelling the mountains very nicely!

Then it was time to head back to camp for tea!

Saturday 24th Sept 2011: Rain at first but it improved!

2011-09-24T20:24:00.000+01:00

We drove to the coast in mist and rain and had lunch in the "Hungry Parrot" at Gosforth, then went over the moor and came back up the Duddon Valley, where the clouds finally started to clear a little.

Conditions improved slightly as we came to Thirlmere, but were still nothing to write hme about!

As we passed the end of the lake the sun came out at last!

And it continued to improve, i went for my usual evening walk along the lakeside, here is Friars Crag in sunshine for a change!

And I walked to the point where there was a view of my favourite house.

On the way back I was taken with the clouds over the fells and the curve of the boardwalk.

At least the heavy rain that started the day dwindled and disappeared in the afternoon.

Thursday 2nd Sept 2011: Wast Water

2011-09-23T06:43:00.000+01:00

The weather was a little better so we decided to visit Wast water, going by the "pretty route2 through Honister Pass

We went to Whitehaven first to shop and have lunch, then continued on to the lake. Conditions were not very good for photos with a mist hanging over everything!

but we did at least get a couple of shots

Not many people about as it was midweek, and of course late in the season.

We shall try again next week if the weather is better as there was no detail to be seen in the screes with the mist.
I decided to come back to camp the same way as the mist would spoil the view over Hard Knot and Wrynose Passes, anothe day perhaps?

Wednesday 21st Sept 2011: Bad Weather!

2011-09-21T19:50:00.000+01:00

What a day for rain! we drove into Keswick to shop and have lunch at Booths, but the weather was too bad until tea time to bother going out!
We did then manage a short run through Newlands Valley

Where the local streams were very swollen

Then came back through Buttermere Village and Kirkstone Pass

Tuesday 20th Sept: Better weather and Haweswater

2011-09-20T19:02:00.001+01:00

How nice to see sunshine! I went for a morning walk by the shore of Derwentwater and it was very still.

The heacy recent rain had raised the water level quite a bit and some of the fencing is under water.

This is the view of the swollen river from the Chinese Bridge, the footpath to Lodore Hotel is under water on the other side of the bridge!

We set off for Haweswater and the sun was lighting up our favourite view nicely.

When we got to haweswater we were not so lucky as to get a blue sky, but at least the lighting was good.

But no amount of patience produced the Blue Sky I wanted!

When we got back to site I took a "grab" shot of a red squirrel raiding a bird feeder, pity it isn't sharp!

And found this colourful toadstool on the campsite

Monday 19th September: Rain and more rain!

2011-09-19T18:41:00.000+01:00

We woke up to the odd patch of Blue sky, so set off to Whitehaven to do some shopping, snapping this view of our favourite house on the lake

The rain and clouds closed in after that and we had a wet drive to Whitehaven, and subsequently to Gosforth where we had a very nice lunch at "The hungry parrot eatery" before heading back to camp.
We spent the afternoon in the van then drove to Penrith before passing down the western side of Ullswater

At least the sky had started to clear a little, there was even the odd touch of Blue!

We turned off for Ambleside in heavy cloud and dropped down the hill aptly named "The Struggle"

Before returning to the caravan.
We had a pretty good day despite the rain!

Sunday 18th September 2011: first day back in the Lakes

2011-09-18T19:47:00.000+01:00

We left our pitch at Low Moor at 8:35 AM and had an easy ride through, stopping for lunch near Kendal at 11:30 as we needed to kill time so as not to arrive on site before 12 PM.
We had set off in sunshine, but ran into light rain once we reached the Lake District, though we did at least get a dry set up, then after a rest drove into Keswick to do some shopping.
The fields below Lodore Force were flooded right across to Chinese Bridge and from what we could gather there had been a lot of rain in the previous few days.
After a light tea a sunny spell tempted us to go out for a short evening run, starting by ascending Honister Pass

The roads were blissfully empty and it was possible to stop and take a photo of the old tree that won't give up!

And this view further along the lake

We turned back at Buttermere Village and returned via Newlands pass, where we could see the sunlit fells above Keswick.

A pleasant end to a great first day

Tuesday 23rd August 2011:Last day! Bangor pier and here and there!

2011-08-23T21:21:00.000+01:00

We had intended to visit Penryn Castle on the mainland then realised its closed on Tuesdays, so drove down the coast of the strait

We travelled along until we could see Penmon Priory in the distance

We then doubled back in the direction of Menai Bridge and through the trees I noticed that there was a pier at Bangor!

We resolved to visit the pier, but were surprised to find that there were no signposts giving a clue as to how to find it (but we did!)
Though not as extravagant as Llandudno Pier it is actually in better condition and there is a small charge (15 pence for pensioners) which no doubt helps the upkeep.

The pavilion at the end of the Pier is only a fraction of the size of the Llandudno pier, but it does at least boast a cafe, and half way back on the pier we found this little snack bar

We had the tastiest "Welsh Rarebits" I have ever tasted, tea and a sliced of buttered "Bara Brith" (Fruit loaf), my first ever meal on a Pier and a memorable one!
Back then to the caravan for an afternoon snooze, then up to Trarrdur for a last look

then back down to moelfre for a last look

And finally a brief look at Traeth Bychan just below our campsite

A great last day to a great holiday!

Monday 22nd August 2011:llynon mill and Cemlyn

2011-08-23T06:37:00.000+01:00

I managed to convince Pat to go to see the local GP with the Wasp Bite that had swollen and troubled her for days, so that took up the morning, while we were waiting to go in we drove down to Benlech Beach

And after we eventually got out of the surgery we had a late fish and chips lunch, very tasty! then headed across the island in bright sunshine to Lynon Mill, the last of the Anglesey
windmills that has been restored to full operation

These mills were quite short in height, but attractive nevertheless.

the chap who was guiding us round was disappointed that there wasn't any wind, so he couldn't show us the mill actually in operation, but never mind, here is a panorama of the interior

Behind the mill is a reconstruction of two 3,000 year old roundhouses in a stockade.

This is a panoramic of the two

Note the massive overhang of the thatched roof to protect the "Wattle and Daub" mud wall from being washed away in heavy rain.
There are no chimneys, the smoke from a small internal fire finds its way through the thick thatch, apparently this reduces the draught to the fire and prevents it getting out of control and burning the house down!
Inside the house was very spacious, and we were told they are warm in winter too!
Here is a panorama of the interior

And this is a view of the complicated roof!

Outside the stockade there were carved logs

And a mini Labyrinth constructed by children of the local school

Then we headed back to camp for tea.
Afterwards we drove to the other en of Cemllyn Bay where the lagoon starts

This is the stepped beach of shingle

We didn't stay all that long as upwards of twenty cars and motorhomes with Kayaks on roof racks suddenly filled the car park!
Another great day.

Sunday 21st August 2011:Llandudno again and Cemaes Bay

2011-08-22T06:59:00.001+01:00

A nice bright start so across to the mainland and down to good old Llandudno for a walk on the front and the pier of course!
This is a view of the miles and miles of hotels along the Esplanade

It was a little early but people were already sitting out taking the sun

local supporters were having a mini "Lifeboat Day" rather low key after the Moelfre affair, but they were doing their best!

We reached the pier which was rather busy!

and Pat bought a new lace "thingy" for the coffee table from this stall

over on our right a jetty came out into the sea for pleasure boats to load passengers at low tide

then it began to rain, so we beat a hasty retreat back to the car!
When we got back to camp of course the sun came out (typical) so we had a lazy afternoon then a ride round to holyhead for tea, followed by a visit to Cemaes Bay

A very pleasant day!

Saturday 20th August 2011: Moelfre Lifeboat Day

2011-08-20T21:10:00.003+01:00

Without a doubt this is the "big Day" in Moelfre's year. A sleepy little seaside village with a shingle beach is suddenly transformed into to an incredibly crowded place, and the bay is filled with boats of all sizes that home in from over the horizon!
Knowing how busy it would get, we drove in and parked at quarter past nine, and were glad we did. Things were just being set up as we went for a stroll down to the beach.

At this time there were only two small boats in the bay

It was a lovely sunny morning and after strolling round we went to visit the lifeboat

We were given a conducted tour round the boat

the boat was much larger than we expected and incredibly well equipped inside, it was also in immaculate condition!
This is the outside "Flying Bridge" for the Coxwain, there are similar controls inside the boat if it is too rough to use the external ones

By now it was getting close to lunchtime so off we went to the Chapel where they were selling plated sandwiches with salad and delicious cakes
Here are the volunteers doing drinks

The ladies were busily turning out a range of sandwiches which were disappearing as fast as they appeared on the table!

As we left the chapel and headed back to the clifftop we met Keith cominf along the path from the direction of the beach, we found a seat and watched the boats gathering from all directions in the bay, and these characters dressed as old time pirates with a small "Cannon" who let off very load explosions at frequent intervals making everyone jump!

Then,just three quarters of an hour before the lifeboat was due to launch, the rain started,
so we went back to the car and left Pat to crochet, while Keith and I returned through the dense crowd to see the launch and demonstration of various rescue methods
The inshore lifeboat boys were first into the water to usher the other boats away from the launching slip

Then it was time to launch the big boat, slightly obscured by Cannon Smoke!

It was busier than the M25 out there!

The crowd loved the spectacle, even the drizzling rain didn't put them off, they were packed on the hillside near the lifeboat centre

The inshore boys kicked off the rescue demos by tossing one of their crew into the sea, pretending to leave him, then dragging him in over the side!

Then it was the turn of the RAF Air Sea Rescue Helicopter
Who hauled a man out of the sea and dropped him off on the big lifeboat

The crowd cheered as the chopped swooped low overhead

When the lifeboat came in close I noticed a female crew member busily photographing the crowd

All too soon it was time for the helicopter to return to base and Keith and I made our way through the dense crowd back to the car park, I spotted the "Moelfre Queen" collecting for the lifeboat on the way

We gave Keith a lift back up to the field where he had parked, it was over a mile up the hill, which gives you some idea of the crowds that had come for the Lifeboat Day!
Despite the rain it had been very enjoyable!

Friday 19th August 2010: Penmon Priory and point Lynas

2011-08-20T06:43:00.001+01:00

Our first call of the day was down into Molfre where Pat visited the tiny wool shop in a tin hut and miraculously managed to get pattern, crochet hook and wool to her satisfaction.
We then drove to Red Wharf bay to park on the foreshore for our morning coffee.

then over the hills and narrow lanes to the Menai strait

We had lunch in the "Triple Eight" cafe in Beaumaris then doubled back to go to the very tip of the island, puffin Island.

The lighthouse is very close to the shore

And there is a shingle beach, but we didn't see any puffins!

Retracing our steps we came to Penmon priory

The chaps on the "cherry picker" were removing weeds from the stone work, to their right the priory is still occupied as a private dwelling.
Behind us was the strangely shapes Dove Cote

After tea pat wanted to try out her new wool and patterns so I went alone to look at point Lynas

Its very scenic along the coast path

Thursday August 18th : Aberdaron and Amlwch harbour

2011-08-19T08:02:00.001+01:00

Pat fancied lunch in Aberdaron, so we headed for the mainland and took the top road down, stopping at Morfa Nefyn for these views.
South to Porth Dinlaen

And north towards Anglesey, its a nice beach down there!

It's a very pleasant drive along quiet and twisty lanes to get to Aberdaron, we arrived about eleven

This is the cafe we like to use

Since we were early we went for a short walk through the little village and along the prom. these kids were building a sandcastle and trying to make it strong enough to resist the incoming tide! in the distance you can see Bardsey island, still a point of pilgrimage for some religious folks.

Then it was back to the cafe for lunch (paninis with Coronation Chicken and salad) here you can see that the cafe is on two levels

This must surely be the oldest cafe for many miles as this interior notice testifies

We then headed down to the lower coast with the intention of visiting Pwhelli and Criccieth etc., but nose to tail slow moving traffic showed that this wasn't a good idea so we headed back to camp.
After tea we went down to Amlwch harboour for an evening walk

Its very quiet now

This notice tells you how it used to be!

We met a Yachtsman forn the whit boat on the right "Mighty Max" who was telling us how that end of the harbour was completed to serve the Wylfa Atomic Power station, and also that the composite carbon mast on his boat would cost £25,000 pounds to replace if he broke it.
Expensive toy hmm?

Wednesday 17th August: A run into Snowdonia

2011-08-17T20:25:00.000+01:00

A bright sunny start to the day and we were off to the mainland, taking the road to the "pass of Llanberis" and parking by Llyn Padarn for morning coffee and to take this shot

There are several lakes along the pass, all very scenic!

Look at this for example

After a while we came to the viewpoint for snowdon, there is also a good view in the other direction too

here is the viewpoint itself

And the mountains themselves

WE had to head back after this as Keith came to visit and even provided and cooked our tea! (Truly Wizard!)

Tuesday August 16th 2011:Cemlyn, Church Bay and Parys Mountain

2011-08-17T07:02:00.000+01:00

Cloud and rain early on decided us to remain on the island and have a local day, our first run being to Cemlyn Bay, a strange lagoon of shingles

there are the remains of an old farmstead here and that's aboput all, but is is a great spot for wild birds

We popped into Valley for lunch then explored some of the minor roads, there were great views over towards Holyhead and the ferries

This is porth Twyn

And this one is called Church Bay, not because there is a church close to the sea, but because from the sea you can see a distant church spire which means you are on a safe course for Holyhead.

The weather had improved quite a bit, so after tea we went for a stroll up Parys Mountain to view the "Great Pit" the old open cast Copper mine.
This board tells the story

And this panorama shows how the pit is today

Monday 15th August 2011:LLandudno

2011-08-16T06:49:00.000+01:00

Pat wanted to do some clothes shopping so we headed for one of the big shopping areas, and for a welcome change she (nearly) got all the items she wanted. After our morning coffee we moved on to a multi storey car park and were soon on the surprisingly wide promenade

The beach was pretty quiet (it did get much busier later in the morning!)

the Promenade was impressive, at least 100 yards wide it stretched for four and a half miles along the curve of the beach, wide enoughh to land an airliner on it!
But it was the pier that took our fancy

And we headed for it.

We were surprised at the great condition that the pier was in, it was easily the best we have seen, with little shops in pavilions along its length.

When we reached the end of the pier it was much bigger than we had expected and in great condition! we felt like we had stepped back into the past as a juke box in the amusement arcade was playing all the hits from 1960, rather a weird but nice feeling!

We bought sandwiches and a sticky bun on our way back to the car, then drove up onto the Great Orme through very steep and narrow streets to eat then in the sunshine, then round the scenic drive

there are spectacular views from here!

We had really enjoyed our visit!

Sunday 14th August 2011: Bodnant Garden

2011-08-15T06:55:00.000+01:00

Possibke the best garden in the UK is how this has been described and I can well believe it!

It certainly has the biggest and best lily ponds i have ever seen!
the next shot is of the side view of the hous (not open to the public) seen from the great lawn

So without more ado, lets see some of the flowers
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The bee on that last shot proved very accomodating, here he is again

ets not overlook the water lilies in the pond

Lower down the hillside we come to the rectangular lake, guarded by a pair of sphinxes

There are lovely flowers here too

Here is the lake and summer house in all it's glory

We had salads for lunch in the cafe, and later in the day popped down to Cemaes for an evening drive, the tide was out.

Saturday 13th August 2010: Anglesey Sea Zoo

2011-08-14T06:59:00.001+01:00

Another favourite of ours, especially as your entry ticket lasts a week and you can go back as often as you like!

The entrance hall has low level tanks ideal for kids!

And as everywhere else in the Zoo they are locally caught specimens

the zoo is divided into small darkened rooms with a wide variety of tanks, large and small

some lovely anemones here

The tanks are often filled with the sort of objects man has left on the sea bed!
This one was a very striking starfish and lobster pot

A piece of old fishing net is home to some tubeworms

The "Shipwreck" corridor if favourite with the kids, made to appear as if you are walking through the timebers of a sunken wooden ship with tanks set into the walls, it is very dark and spooky!

Here is another view further down the corridor

Some of the tanks are very small, like this one with an old wooden pulley and its occupants

There is a large panoramic tank, here being photographed by Patty

a shark tank room, and in the last room a series of rock pools where water cascades from one to the next

We had a rather splendid Mushroom Quiche and salad in the cafe, too!

Friday 12th August : Red Wharf Bay and Beaumaris

2011-08-12T19:44:00.001+01:00

The weather was much better in the morning, so we took the narrow twisting lanes that led down the very steep and twisting hill to the vast sweep of Red Wharf Bay.

And parked on the shingles behind the beach to have our morning coffee.
This is the view looking across towards Benlech

This wonderful beach stretches for miles, look how small these horse riders appear to be!

I was fascinated by the number of stones that had fossils in them like this one

And the wildflowers growing among the stones.

The hill out was every bit as steep and twisty, enjoyable too! and we were soon dropping down to the waters edge of the strait separating Anglesey from the mainland

It's a very pleasant drive along the shore as the road follows it quite closely, and all too soon we arrived in Beaumaris and parked on the main car park on the sea front
Boats were being readied for a dinghy race close to the car park

And one or two people were on the beach, pretty quiet for August i would have thought?

The pier was being renovated and we walked to the end among the families "crabbing" and catching lots I might add, when suddenly a wasp stung Pat on her right ankle and we had to rush to a chemist for a spray to treat it.
We had a light lunch in the "Triple Eight" cafe opposite the George and Dragon, home made soup and a warm roll followed by a huge scone with butter and strawberry jam, delicious!
Then a walk along the main street for a quick look at the castle through the railings, as Pats ankle was painful

Did you notice the Tardis on top of the battlements?
Pats ankle was proving painful so we headed back to the car park, we could see the weather on the mainland was pretty rough!

Thursday 11th August 2011: Rain between showers....

2011-08-11T19:02:00.000+01:00

Oh dear, what has happened to our summer? yeasterday was bad, today was a washout! if it wasn't throwing down with rain, it was a Mizzling Fog, which never stopped once all day.
We sallied forth to shop, and went out early evening when it looked as if it might brighten up, but when we got to Red Wharf bay, the ultra fine (and very wetting) drizzle had started again.
Ah well, I took just a couple of shots rather than the day pass unremarked.
Here are some boats left by the tide

Further out in the main bay are more yachts

We have to admire the way young families with kids are coping with the rotten weather!

And here is a determined Dad who will build a sand (mud) castle regrdless!

Not much material from the day for the Blog or book today! Perhaps we will have better luck tomorrow.

Wednesday 10th August: Pili Palas and a lot of rain!

2011-08-10T18:14:00.001+01:00

In complete contrast to yesterday we had pretty near continuous heavy rain today, so we went to "Pili Palas" Nature World Butterfly house and Zoo, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
There were not so many species as last year, but more than enough to provide great subjects

and that is just a few of the shots taken!
there was also a suspended "statue" made of small suspended tiles

And here are some more butterflies

One of the nice things about Pili Palas is that the staff involve visiting kids with the animals and encourage them to handle them (under supervision of course)

there are areas devoted to birds too

And animal and insect areas too, which are a little dark!
We had a pleasant lunch of jacket potatoes with Coronation Chicken and salad, then did some shopping before returning to camp

Tuesday 9th August 2011: Treardurr Bay and others!

2011-08-09T21:25:00.001+01:00

Pat fancied seeing Trearrdur Bay once again, so that was our destination, we were surprised that the place was practically empty, expecting as we were massive crowds!

Plenty of people with boats, but look at this beach.

Here is a panoramic to prove the point

And further down the coast near Rhosneigr the story was the same, this litle cove is normally packed!

The Anglesey Show is on for the next couple of days, and there was a lot of traffic heading that way, perhaps this explains the lack of crowds?
After tea we went down to the Menai Strait to get the evening light on the bridges

The lighting was excellent so we drove to the shore near the "SeaQuarium" to get this sht looking across to Caernarvon

And here is a closer view of the Castle.

A good day!

Monday 8th August 2011: First day on Anglesey

2011-08-08T20:01:00.000+01:00

We were on the road for just after 8:00 AM and had a good run through, though we did go through some rain over the pennines, arriving on site for 1:30 PM
After setting up we had a shopping session in Llangefni followed by an early tea and the by now traditional evening walk in Moelfre.

It was pleasing to see that nothing had changed very much with the usual boats on the beach

There was one new addition, a surprising number of small anchors in a pile!

We did the usual walk along to the lifeboat station, here is the view looking back down onto the beach

It was a glorious sunny evening, and looking out to sea I spotted a small dot of orange racing towards us, the inshore lifeboat was returning to base.

Beyond the lifeboat station the usual number of "fishermen" were out on the headland

Here they are again in close up

It had been a good first day, time for a lazy evening!

Sunday 31st July 2011: Last Day here, off to Brixham again

2011-07-31T16:57:00.000+01:00

And a good choice it was too, this time we decided to walk to the Marina along the right hand side of the harbour

To our surprise there were lots of flower arrangement like this cart

Good views across the harbour

Trawlers coming and going

And some very tasteful inset garden arrangements like this

And this was called the "Mayflower Garden"

The further we went, the better they got!

The flowers in this particular garden were exceptional

Back at the harbour I decided I wanted to look round the golden hind replica,

Here was the view as I climbed aboard

Not exactly spacious, and down below even Drake's cabin was tiny

The largest space in the ship was the gallery at the rear

needless to say the crew seemed to live in cupboards!
We wandered back into the town to have a Subway sandwich for lunch, then a leisurely drive back to camp, time now to begin preparing to drive home tomorrow!

Saturday 30th July 2011: Second visit to Polperro

2011-07-30T21:03:00.001+01:00

After a foggy start the sun came out and we drove the short distance to revisit Polperro
We were quite early and people were sitting outside the various cafes enjoying breakfast in the open air

lovely window boxes graced many of the buildings.

We soon came to the "Tram" station (they are actually converted Milk Floats)

The buildings in this village are built on some incredible slopes like this hotel with the gaily coloured railings

While looking at the colourful contents of this waste bin I almost missed the parking sign!

The village is full of really ancient buildings like this one

A mermaid made of shells graced another house

the harbour looked very different at low tide, and this old sailing lifeboat must be near on seventy years old!

At the mouth of the harbour a panoramic seemed appropriate

then it was time to return to the car park, we took the "Tram" to save our legs and it was bumpy but amusing, our first ride in a milk float!
Rather than return directly we drove to Polruan and took this photo of the little harbour

And a shot across the river to Fowey, before returning to camp

Another great day!

Friday 29th July 2011: Bigbury on Sea

2011-07-29T20:52:00.000+01:00

We decided on a local run for a change, we had read about Bigbury on Sea as having an island that has a beach to the mainland, which is covered by the tide, and a "Sea Tractor" which then connects the hotel on the island with the mainland

we walked across to the island and got a closer view.

This is apparently the third tractor since they started being used in 1930, it is pretty large!

Evening primrose flowers grow on the island

There was an inn on the island dated 1320, and from the yard in front, an excellent view of the bay

and very striking cliffs.

We went back to the cafe in the car park and enjoyed paninis for lunch.
The view from the cafe was very good, its an excellent beach.

People were enjoying the sunshine.

there were some sailing craft in the bay

We left as the car park was filling up and went shopping in Kingsbridge, a pretty market toen with access to the river and sea.

Some enormous decorative thistles were growing on the roundabout.

We had really enjoyed the visit, its a place worth going to again.

Thursday 28th July 2011: Pats Birthday and Mevagissey

2011-07-29T06:23:00.001+01:00

Pat had decided that the place she wanted to go on her birthday was Mevagissey,, so after an early start off we went.
As so ofter happens when we go there the tide was out!

We had booked for four hours instead of the usual two, so set off for the lighthouse along the western side of the harbour. As usual many of the boats were hogh and dry

Pat stopped to buy a sun hat as t was really warm, and I took this shot against the harbour railings.

Just beyond the old Lifeboat Station people were setting off in self hire boats.

Time, I thought for a panorama!

We were soon at the end of the pier and here is the small lighthouse

Time for lunch before the croawds get in, so to our favourite dafe, Bon Appetit, where the owners kindly provided a candle as it was Pat's Birthday!

then we had plenty of time to mooch round taking in the sights and sounds, like this worthy, Black Jack by name, who ran a souvenir shop.

An old lobster pot up tuned and filled with flowers had attracted a butterfly

And we had time for a look round the small but excellent Mevagissey Museum on the inner harbour.

And this chap painting his boat.

We really enjoyed our second visit.

Wednesday 27th July: Seaton and District

2011-07-27T20:12:00.000+01:00

A longer run for a change we drove up past Exeter and took to the coast road, dropping down into Sidmouth, but the place was packed and we couldn't get parked, so on to Seaton where we had no problem.
The first thing we saw was a scaled down electric tramway based on the old London trams

And just round the corner a convenient cafe for Ham, eggs and chips and a cuppa.
When walked across the road to the sea front I was very pleased to see that my memory hadn't failed me and this Seaton (the BIG one) was just as I remembered it from all those years ago, red cliffs, a shingle beach that was shelved, as here

back then lots of fishing boats were drawn up on the shingles, now there is just one!

lots of retired folk here,bathing huts and this couple looking like a 1930's film set

The choice of Bicycles in different colours to decorate a roundabout seemed a little odd

and there were some absolutely gorgeous flowers bordering the road.

and colourful panels on every Lamp standard

Seaton has a very long prom, so i thought a panorama appropriate

Just time for another look at the trams

Then we set off back along the coast road. We couldn't get parked in Beer, but passed through some great countryside with ancient churches

And lots of spectacular thatched cottages like this one

We stopped briefly in Budleigh Salterton where I stopped to take this

Everywhere was so busy that we feel that if we come again it should be earlier in the season before the crowds arrive, but we had had a good day!

Tuesday 26th July 2011 Dawlish, Teignmouth and Babbacombe

2011-07-26T20:25:00.000+01:00

We intended to go to Teignmouth, but passed by to have a look at Dawlish, which worked out very nicely!Dawlish has a river running through the middle of the town over 13 cascades, and it s picturesque!

Here is a view looking upriver.

There are lots of flowers in well cared for beds

A railway crosses the road, but by passing underneath the arches you can reach the beach.

Here is the view in the other direction

There were some elegant black swans on the river

and colourful ducks too!

We had a rather nice roast pork lunch then carried on to Teigmouth, but soon discovered that all the parking places were full, but we did get a couple of views from across the river

Aand here is a view of the pier

then we continued to a place of happy memories, Babbacombe Bay. The hill down to the beach was as hairy as we remembered, it being a 1 in 3 with hairpin bends, and the bay itself worth seeing

Isn't it a great little spot? after this we were ready to return to camp, a great day out!

Monday 25th July 2011: Seaton and Looe

2011-07-25T20:19:00.001+01:00

It's strange how the memory can play tricks, I was sure that I knew how Seaton looks, it has a stoney beach with fishing boats drawn up on the shingles, and tall white cliffs behind the beach, so you can imagine my surprise when we got there.

Ah well, its my age and condition I suppose!
We carried on to Looe and were lucky to get parked as it was busy.

We were ready for a bite to eat and chose this little Bakery cum Cafe

We shared a large chicken and ham Pasty, and followed it with a Cornish Cream Tea for two.
Delicious!
a gentle stroll along the Quayside was called for after that, watching the people "crabbing" and going on boat trips

It was good to see this old fisherman returning with a catch among the many pleasure craft

And soon we were at the beach, which was quite busy today

We walked out onto the pier and watched the inshore lifeboat coming in, with about twice the normal number of crew members, there would be no shortage of volunteers on a day like today!

Who can blame them?
Some parents want a good talking to! these two young boys were over a hundred yards out from the shore, not good as there was an off shoe wind. We watched and luckily they used plastic spades to paddle back close to the beach. Very dodgy!

While we were at the outer end of the pier a horse fly took a bite out of my leg, so we headed back to find a chemist as it started swelling up.
I took this shot of the little harbour, looking inland up the river.

There was a Regatta under way, hence the number of Dinghys on the hard standing.

Then it was a hike through the narrow streets looking for a chemist

And there close by the clock tower, we found a Chemist

We bought some ointment they recommended for insect bites: it worked very well and the swelling was gone an hour later.
Then our parking time was up and it was time to head off to do some grocery shopping, it had been a great visit!

Sunday 24th July 2011: Buckland Abbey and Dartmoor

2011-07-24T19:41:00.000+01:00

A dull start so we fancied a change from the coast and headed inland to visit Buckland Abbey, which had been a monastery originally until Henry the eigth confiscated it and sold it to Sir Richard Grenville. he converted it into a house and then sold it to Sir Francis Drake. this is the outside view of the Great Barn (on the left) the kitchen Garden and the front of the house

You go through the great barn before entering the house, it is surprisingly spacious!

Here is the view in the other direction

The is the view of the house as you leave the barn and enter the herb garden

This is the entrance of the house on the left of the building

There is a carved effigy of the first abbess above the small doorway on the right

As you enter the building there is a small information room with a looping video story of Drakes life and this rather splendid Bronze depicting the contest between Queen Elizabeth, King Philip of Spain and the Armada

And in a display case is Drake's Drum, hard to believe it was used at the battle with the Spanish Armada, it has the legend that in time of dire threat it will sound of it's own accord and Summon Drake back from the dead to come to England's aid!

We continued round the house and here is a shot of the kitchen

We had a very agreeable lunch in the cafe and then went in search of Dartmoor, but we were not impressed, it didn't look much like a moor to us, more of a heath.

no comparison with the yorkshire moors, and the little side roads had such high hedges that you couldn't see very far.
Never mind, it was a change and a good day out!

Saturday 23rd July 2011: Mevagissey

2011-07-23T21:15:00.003+01:00

We had a cracking day out today, the weather was sunny and warm and we made good time through the much busier weekend traffic to get to Mevagissey at 11:20 AM
We spotted the sails of a tall ship and hurried to the end of the harbour to grab some shots!

And we kept shooting as it moved away at quite a decent turn of speed.

After this excitement we had a leisurely walk back to the inner harbour
This family were enjoying a "crabbing" session

With a subject this wide, a panorama is called for!

Some of the fishing boats were being repaired.

It was great for a change to get there when the tide was in!

Seeing people sat on the harbour reminded it was time to find something for lunch

We found this super little cafe that did amazingly large and tasty sandwiches (we had coronation chicken, a large piece of cake and a cuppa for £5:50..Highly recommended!

And since we still had a little time before being due back on the car park, we walked up the narrow alley ways behind the cottages to take a panoramic view down onto the harbour

It had been a great day out!

Friday 22nd July 2011: Salcombe

2011-07-22T20:14:00.001+01:00

It must be over forty years since we were there last! it had certainly changed and was much busier that we recall. Salcombe is another hilly Devon village and thankfully there is a park and ride bus which is free for pensioners (though you do have to pay £3 to park the car.)
As usual the streets are very narrow.

and we found that there were lots of little ways through to the buildings to the water's edge.

There were also some nice areas where you could walk along by the riverside

And of course lots of touristy shops

We noticed some Slate engravings around the village, mounted on the walls

Here is another of the Riverside walkways

and also another fine slate engraving

the victoria pub had a good idea!

everywhere you looked on the river there are pontoons and boats, boats,and more boats!

We ended up at the main harbour where we bought delicious sandwiches from the local bakery and sat out watching the boats to eat them

The bus driver was telling us the locals think that the new influx of the boating fraternity have turned their village into "Mayfair on sea" (full of show offs and posers) no doubt he is right!
WE had enjoyed it very much, lots to see and do.

Thursday 21st July 2011: Fowey and evening in Wembury Bay

2011-07-21T21:34:00.000+01:00

Sunshine first thing (at last) Pat had chosen to visit Fowey as she was sure we hadn't been there before (despite my saying otherwise) needless to say as we turned into the car park, she remembered the place!
This time we elected to walk down instead of using the bus, and very pleasant it was too, through the narrow streets

We spotted these lovely flowers in a window box

And pretty soon we were down close to the main street

And soon we were in the main square in front of the "King of Prussia" pub

I was intrigued by this traditional steam powered launch, the familiar smell of best steam coal had reached me long before we saw it.

Out on the pier the cannons provide a foreground for this river view

WE bought a pasty and Appel strudle to share for lunch then went to do some shopping and fill up the car on our way back to camp.
After tea I went down to Wembury beach and found the scene I wanted for our holiday postcard

It had been another great day.

Wednesday 20th June 2011: Paignton and Torbay

2011-07-20T20:50:00.000+01:00

A dismal wet start to the day, and it wasn't helped when Garfield fell off the cupboard and injured his gammy leg! fortunately he quickly recovered.
We decided to give Paignton a try and drove to the harbour, parking in a multi level car park.
We soon realised that this wasn't really for us, but had a look round, there were thatched cottages on the harbour

there were plenty of boats in the harbour

Which was so big it really called for a panorama

We rounded the end of the harbour and realised that Paignton sea fornt was HUGE and worse from our point of view, a bit like Blackpool!
Any way we had a great lunch of Ham eggs and chips in a Bistro over the Harbour (very good but there was far too much!)
Then went for a drive along the front to see Torquay, and found once again it wasn't for us for the same reasons as Paignton. Ahe well we have seen it!
Wwe went back to camp and snoozed away the rest of the afternoon.
After tea I went for a walk on Wembury Point, on what was obviously once a Military road. There were great views out to sea,

And along the coast towards Wembury

To my surprise miniature wild sweet peas grew in patches by the side of the path

And at the end of my walk a view into Plymouth Sound

Tuesday 19th July 2011: Polperro

2011-07-19T19:04:00.002+01:00

Another wet start, and some heavy showers en route, we arrived to find there is an enormous car park at the top of the hill above the village and it was not very busy.
We decided to walk down into Polperro and the first thing we came across was a Pub with an overhsot waterwheel on the end wall

The stream from the water wheel passed some lovely properties that were offering holiday lets

And there were some lovely begonias in these attractive settings by the stream

Passing through the many narrow streets we arrived at the harbour

Which ever way you look there are pictures here

This is the inner harbour

and looking back toward the village from the far end

I felt that the outer harbour would look better as a Panorama

We set off back into the village and stopped at a Bakery cum cafe for a cornish pasty and cream tea (which we shared) and a welcome cup of tea
on the way back we spotted a shop specialising in wooded cornish pixies, here is the shop

And some of the pixies

And this ancient house even had faces protruding from the walls!

We were very impressed with Polperro, even though we only saw a small part of it, we will be going back there methinks!

Monday 18th July: Brixham

2011-07-18T20:05:00.000+01:00

After a windy and rainy night, came a windy and rainy morning, nevertheless off we went and once again we got lucky with the weather! by the time we got to Brixham the sky was clear and we were lucky enough to get parked on the central car park near the harbour.
The village was far bigger than we had expected and there were the usual touristy shops, like this one that specialised in wood products

The really interesting and eye catching thing in the harbour was a full size replica of Drake's golden hind, it was really very small!

You had to be brave to go to sea in that! Here is a side view

Rather them than me!
This plaque tells the story

Seventy men? Unbelievable! I bet they daren't all go on deck at the same time or the boat would capsize!
Here is another view of the harbour and town from the same position.

We walked to the end of the harbour

And I took the shots to make this panorama

Then back up the main street to get some lunch, but we gave this chippy a miss

And went for a Subway sandwich instead!
It had been a great visit and we really enjoyed ourselves!

Sunday 17th July 2011 Looe in Cornwall

2011-07-17T18:42:00.000+01:00

Once again the day started with fog and torrential rain and the weather forecast was for more of the same, but we decided to go out anyway and we were glad we did! We passed through some heavy rain, yet when we arrived at Looe, we were in bright sunshine!
We got parked without difficulty on a riverside car park

Wwe then walked across the bridge over the river and I took this panoramic

At first the street was fairly wide

And there were lots of colourful shops to browse

Once past the clock tower the street became very narrow with some ancient properties that reminded us of York

Everwhere there were flower boxes, just look at this external stairway.

Eventually we reached the seafront where there was a very tidy beach that had just been swept clean

and a small but attractive pier

then it was time to start back, we chose to walk along the waters edge

The other side of the River looks equally interesting, we must have a walk there on our next visit

The river runs extremely quickly and there are warnings not to swim because it is so dangerous.
We stopped at a Bakery cum Cafe, and shared a large Steak Pasty, and a Cornish cream tea for dinner, washed down with cups of tea, it was very filling and delicious!
We were very impressed with Looe. It was much bigger and better than we had expected and we will certainly be paying it another visit!

Saturday 16th July 2011 rain at first then Wembury

2011-07-16T20:25:00.000+01:00

We woke to the sound of drumming rain and a thick fog, which looked set in for the day, so we lazed around during the morning and roused ourselves to go to the local Morrisons to shop and have lunch, which turned out to be very good. when we came out it was to find that the rain had stopped and the sun came out, so we decided to just have a local run down to Wembery, which is owned by the National Trust.
This is the view with the island called "The Great Mew Stone" out in the Bay.

There is a Marine Centre (Free to enter) and an old water mill that has been converted by the National Trust into a Cafe.

The Marine Centre was running a free Rock Pooling course and we watched quite a crowd gather on the beach

they were a bit unlucky as when we got back to the car a few minutes later the heavens opened!
Our next port of call was Newton Ferrers, reached along miles of very narrow lanes, it is spread along the banks of the River Yealm, and at the end of the road there is a ferry (foot passengers only) across to Warren Cottages

This next shot is of Warren Cottages, where the coast path leads eventually to Plymouth

The rain had started up again so we headed back to the Caravan for the remainder of the afternoon, venturing out again after tea when the sunshine tempted us,we wanted to visit Bovisand Fort, but found when we got there that it was private property, there was this amazing homemade "Motorhome" (For want of a better description,) behind the car park

Still we did get a shot of the beach and Holiday Camp.

We continued round the headland and dropped briefly int the outskirts of Plymouth, but it started to rain so we headed back to camp.
After a poor start it was a pretty good day!

Friday 15th July 2011: Slapton Sands and Dartmouth

2011-07-15T18:46:00.000+01:00

After the hot day of our arrival the weather changed to cool and showery. We bought a map at admin and set off along the so called "A" 379, which would have been regarded as a "B" or "C" road in Yorkshire. That's not to say that it wasn't an interesting drive, as the road ran up hill and down dale and through some tiny villages that were so narrow that the 20mph speed limit made a lot of sense!
Early on in the journey I took a shot across Plymouth sound to give an idea of the sort of weather we were having.

Fortunately the weather did improve and after a surprisingly slow drive we arrived at Torpoint, the start of Slapton Sands, to see this Sherman tank recovered from the sea.

It is a memorial to the American GI's who were taking part in a mock invasion called "operation Tiger" (Because the shingle beach here is similar to Omaha Beach in France) unfortunately for them they were spotted by a german aircraft that called up E boats, resulting in the sinking of several ships with the loss of 947 American lives, one of the wars great tragedies.
The beach is amazing, composed of shingle and it encloses a lagoon called Slapton Ley that is several miles long. This is the village of Torpoint at the southern enad of the beach

And here is Patty looking north along the beach

We got as far as Dartmouth which looked really very interesting but couldn't get on the car park, but we did find a "Subway Sandwich" outfit opened up in a BP garage and really enjoyed our lunch there.
By the time we got back to camp the weather was a bit better, and this chap was studying the sound with binoculars.

And this is what had caught his eye, one of The Royal Navy helicopter attack ships (at least that's what I think it is) amusingly I heard a chap on a mobile phone describe it loudly as a "Battleship"

Thursday 14th July Plymouth Sound

2011-07-14T17:49:00.002+01:00

We set off from the storage site at ten past eight in the morning and had a relatively easy run down, (with the exception of the bit where we passed through Plymouth town centre and they had dug up the roads and there were multiple diversions!
Here was our first view of the Devon countryside where we stopped for a cuppa.

I also managed to pass the narrow lane we had to go down and had to do a very tricky "U" turn in a narrow village stree, not easy with the caravan on the hook!
Anyway, we arrived at last and found that we had been here before, or rather on the Temporary Holiday side two fields away!
This is our first view out over the sound

And here is another view, notice the Naval Vessel in the bay!

Saturday 9th July: Skinningrove, Recycling centre of the universe!

2011-07-10T07:55:00.000+01:00

There are many flashy seaside resorts in Yorkshire, but a place that seems to me to catch the Yorkshire spirit much more, is the tiny mining and fishing village of Skinningrove.
No fancy amusements here, but they do have the finest beach in Yorkshire, and have made recycling into an Artform!
Here is the poignant locally made monument to the many fishermen lost off this coast, and what could be more appropriate than to use an old unseaworthy coble for the job? They found it on the beach according to the board, patched it up there it is!
View from the front

And rear

Here is the carved figure at the tiller.

Skinningrove is in the bottom of a cleft in the cliffs and the slopes are put to good use for pigeon lofts and allotments.

Aren't they brilliant?

no problems with planning permission here, methinks!

and finally two views of the most individual garden I have ever seen!

Doesn't that make you want to rush out and do something to your garden?
I love Skinningrove, long may it stay unspoilt by modern times!

Thursday 7th July 2011: Flamborough weekend

2011-07-07T20:53:00.000+01:00

For a change we are spending a weekend on the coast with Yorkshire Freeway Caravanning Club, in Flamborough, and just to give a feel of the place here are a couple of photos, first the old lighthouse, Charles II gave Sir John Clayton permission to build the first one and it was constructed in 1674, but he went bankrupt before it was lit.

This is the second and current lighhouse, nearer to the sea.

It was built by a local firm John Matson of Bridlington in 1806 and cost about £8,000. And it was first lit on 1st December 1806.
Apparently it wa originally a bit shorter in height and then was rebuilt, making it taller in 1925

Thursday 30th June 2011: Last day at Low Moor

2011-06-30T21:22:00.000+01:00

Scarborough was our destination, we visited first the Mere, then Olivers mount

And then down to park on the Esplanade above the South Bay, we set off and walked down

and down to the Italian Gardens

And here they are freshly replanted for the summer season

This cheeky little chap came to see us, but we had given all our bread to the ducks and geese on the Mere!

The little lily pond had been tidied up nicely since our last visit.

and further down the hillside paths we looked out over what used to be the Olympic open air swimming bath in earlier days.

we enjoyed our lunch in the Clock Cafe, but got caught in a heavy shower making our way back up the cliff, so arrived at the car dripping!
After tea i went down into Whitby and parked up above the "Khyber Pass" and took some photos

And did this panorama of the view

and here is the final view of the day looking in the direction of Sandsend

Wednesday 29th June 2011 Seaham and the coast to the south

2011-06-29T20:00:00.001+01:00

We fancied a run up past Middlesborough and took the inland route to the A19 then north till turning off on the A182 to Seaham.
Not exactly a thriving resort,but they are trying to do up the harbour and the seafront, this is the harbour

As can be seen here, they still have a lot to do!
We continued back down the coast through the various colliery villages and stopped at Seaton Carew, where this beach wouldn't win any awards!

This is sea coal, brought in by the tide, and still collected commercially for re use!
Our route took us to Middlesborough and we had hoped to cross the Tees on the Transporter Bridge, but it is closed, heres a mono print of it

We stopped in Redcar for a coffee and I spotted this strange vessel close in shore

It was quite late in the afternoon by the time we got back to the caravan, we had tea and a rest then i went down into Whitby for a walk to the end of the pier

On the way back I noticed the inshore Rescue Lifeboat was being launched

But they set off at such a leisurely pace that I think it must have been a training run.
The light was really good, so i did this Panorama to round off the day

Tuesday 28th June: Castleton for lunch and whitby Abbey in the evening

2011-06-28T20:40:00.000+01:00

We printed off and wrote some postcards, then had a pleasant inland tour before ending up at Castelton Tea rooms for lunch.

It was extremely busy, more than 20 customers inside and at least a dozen cyclist outside, it's amazing how Jan and Angie managed to cope!
Pat wanted to shop for some clothes on the way back to camp so into Whitby we went, and while there I took just a couple more images, here is the old Whitby Lifeboat (now it does pleasure cruises) coming back under the swing bridge.

Hard to believe looking at it that the boat is over 74 years old! it saved more than 200 lives in a distinguished career.
After such a large lunch we had a snack tea then drove up to park near the Abbey, I got this shot,

then walked a couple of miles along the seven foot high wall, and came to the top of the Abbey steps

The next steps was to continue at the hilltop and get this up river.

Before struggling up the steep track back to the car park.

Monday 27th June 2011: Peasholm Park, Scarborough

2011-06-27T19:17:00.000+01:00

This was the hottest day of the year so far, we headed to Scarborough to walk in the cool shade in Peasholm Park, parking on the hillside close by. Looking down through the trees onto the lake we could see the Chinese Bridge in the distance.

And as we descended the steps to the lakeside the ornamental bandstand and dragon pedaloes came into view

I wonder how old the pedaloes really are? I remember going on them when I was small, sixty years ago!
They have very fancy heads!

On Peasholm Island there is a Pagoda and Waterfall (pump driven) that runs during the season.

Near our feet there are some colourful lilies.

And as it is the mating season, a pair of pigeons getting friendly.

On then into the glen, to the shady ponds where I and lots like me used to sail our wooden toy boats, or did I watch while Dad played with the boat?

And the usual squirrels were enjoying peanuts brought by visitors.

there were some wood carvings here and there, here is one of a Dragon.

It was like old times, we really enjoyed our visit!

Sunday 26th June: Skinningrove and evening in Robin Hoods Bay

2011-06-26T16:54:00.002+01:00

It was time, we felt for our first paddle in the sea of the year, and a forecast of the hottest day yet had us on the road to Skinningrove, which has the best beach in Yorkshire and the great advantage of never getting very crowded!
Heres the view as we came down the hill from the south.

WE parked in the usual place on the seafront and walked along past the stream, this is the remains of the old harbour where cast iron from the foundry on the hilltop used to be shipped out

We soon reached the entrance to the beach, under the supporting stonework of the old inclined way.

If you look up you can see the strange shape of the cliffs, where molten slag was poured over from the iron foundry on top of the hill, even after a hundred years it remains unaffected by the weather.

Here is the view when paddling

And one very happy Patty!

After a light tea Pat was tired, so I went down to Robin Hoods Bay for an evening walk

It was surprisingly hot down there, so I decided I would not be coming back up via the steps!
It was less busy too,as can be seen here.

And quiet on the slipway too

Though it was warm enough for people to sit outside the pubs for a meal and a pint

Diverting between the houses I walked along the seawall and picked up the less strenuous slope to the top of the hill.

Saturday 25th June 2011 Scarborough and Whitby evening walk

2011-06-25T21:09:00.001+01:00

When we got to Scarbough we found that the sea fron near the harbour was closed to traffic, so we parked in the underground car park and walked towards the Spa
where we went for a light meal. This is the view from the cafe

Scarbough is know to be the first seaside resort, this wall plaque tells why!

Plenty of colour along the sea front

There were lots of charity events going on including a great aerobatics display, these pictures will tell the story.

On our way back to the car we could see the huge crowds on the sea front

WE had a lazy afternoon and curried chicken with salad for tea then went for an evening walk in the old town of Whitby.
It was warm enough for people to sit out in the square enjoying a beer

And when we reached as far as we could go, I did this panorama

Friday 24th June 2011 Castleton for lunch and Sandsend evening walk

2011-06-24T20:23:00.001+01:00

Friday is the pensioners meal day at Castleton and Pat wanted to show the wedding photos to our friends.
We went across country and this is a panorama of Sleights in the distance.

We had a splendid meal and our friends were delighted to see us and loved the wedding photos.
The meal was savoury mince and onion pie with vegetables, followed by Strawberries and ice cream, and it was delicious!
We made our way back in a roundabout fashion, via Fryup Dale where this shot was taken

After such a big lunch we had a light sandwich tea and decided on an evening walk in Sandsend, parking on the sea front.
This was the view towards Whitby

It was low tide and the draining water made interesting patterns in the sand

Some of the sea fron buildings had strange metalwork attached to the walls, look at this!

And in the last yard of the buildings was this confection

A stream divides the village, her is the view looking inland

then it was time to head back to camp

Thursday 23rd June 2011 Lots of rain and evening in Whitby

2011-06-23T20:31:00.000+01:00

What an awful day for rain! after raining all night it continued until 2 PM in the afternoon. we drove to Scarborough during the morning to shop at Sainsbury's and have lunch there.
Because of the weather we stayed in and dozed till tea time, then went into Whitby for an evening walk, (Free parking on the harbour after 6 PM!)

There is always plenty of colour in the harbour.

For some reason the Abbey Steps are full of people (rather them than me!)

And the ladies rowing team are sowing their paces in the river

A lone coble heads howe with the days catch, not many are left these days!

Looking north along the shore a gathering mist shrouds distant Sandsend

Wednesday 22nd June: Staithes

2011-06-22T19:10:00.005+01:00

Rather mixed weather with sunshine and showers, we decided on a walk down to the harbour at Staithes, stopping at the Co-op in Staithes Village to buy a "Meal Deal" (sandwich, crisps and a bottle of fizzy pop)
and then down to the front by the roadway

Once we reached the houses we took the first left turn and immediately spotted this Gull with chicks on a roof.

The cottages are stone built, and there's no mistaking the connections with the sea, with all the fishing tackle strewn around

there are some nice little touches that add to the atmosphere of the place like this doorbell

down in the creek an elderly man is scraping the paint on a rather dilapidated fishing coble.

Here he is in close up, busily scraping away.

looking Seaward towards the footbridge that connects the main town to the Nab.

And here we are looking back from the footbridge. Thirty years ago there would have been at least twenty cobles moored in the creek under a spiderweb of mooring ropes

Since there is no room for gardens in the narrow streets, other methods are employed to grow some flowers!

And house names are little works of art too!

Finally, down on the front we found a convenient seat to sit and eat our packing up, followed by a tub of ice cream from the van, before I walked back to the car park, to drive it down and pick Patty up.

This is a panorama of the village roofscape I did while walking back to the car

Tuesday 21st June 2011: Saltburn and Runswick Bay

2011-06-21T21:20:00.005+01:00

We had a lazy start to the day and took a slow drive to Saltburn via Skinningrove along the back roads behind Boulby mine.

This is of course a HDR treatment of the scene for added effect.
We wanted to have our favourite lunch at the Signals Bistro, Pork for me and chicken for Pat, with the usual cabbage, carrots, mashed potato and gravy, plus Yorkshire pudding, with a dessert of Waffles with golden syrup and ice cream.
Once we had this under our belts we went for a walk along the clifftop and came across this highly individual monumental statue intended to portray the Quaker Henry Pease, who planned and built Ravenscar as a dedicated resort in Victorian times.

Next stop was the lower car park at Runswick Bay, as it was a sunny afternoon and worth taking a leisurely stroll. This large cast iron anchor recovered from the sea is one of the first things you see when leaving the car park

Above the slope where the small boats are moored is possibly the shortest railway in the world (it can't be more than 30 feet long) that the manual winch (which still works) used to pull up the boats runs on.

Runswick Bay is protected by the hill above, and faces south, so it enjoys a climate all it's own, and flowers of all kinds flourish here, like this lovely poppy in the long grass

The buildings are piled on top of one another up the hillside and no spare space is left!

It's a maze of narrow alleyways!

with space being at a premium, these very attractive half boats occupy many a white stone wall

There is just one part of the village that's a bit more open than the rest, and here tiny gardens viw with each other.

and there are roses of all colours everywhere!

See what I mean? anyway we had a good time here before going back to the caravan to print up 30 odd of the wedding photos!

Monday 20th June: Off to Whitby for 13 nights

2011-06-21T08:57:00.001+01:00

We decided on having a break close to home for a change as we are both a bit fazed after the excitement of the wedding and one thing after another! so we arrived on site at 1:00 PM and got set up in bright sunshine.
Very pleasant , too!
our only move off site was to drop down into Whitby for something for tea, and I took this view on the way down.

c

2011-06-21T08:46:00.001+01:00

Tuesday 14th June Last Day of the holiday and a good run round!

2011-06-14T20:41:00.000+01:00

We wanted to pack as much as possible into the day, and started off crossing the border and descending the 1 in 4 hill down to the little fishing village (more of a single street really) called Burnmouth. Here is the harbour and note the cottages below the hillside.

Then on the St Abbs and a coffee on the car park followed by a walk around the harbour wall, this is the inner harbour

And I couldn't resist doing a Panorama from the outer wall!

Then we just had time for a fleeting visit to Eyemouth before lunch

I can never resist photographing boats, so I didn't!

Then it was time for lunch in the Oxford Farm shop, and afterwards a run down the coast, Bamburgh Castle looked great in the sunshine

We parked in Seahouses and did a bit of shopping, then saw the lifeboat coming in, apparently it had been called out to Lindisfarne to carry some Paramedics there as the causeway was covered by the tide.

It seems that all went well and the woman wasn't as ill as reported and able to drive home when the tide turned, but I enjoyed watching the recovery of the boat, here the men are setting out the slip blocks and playing out the winch hawser

Before long it is hauled up onto the tracked trailer

before being reversed around the harbour too the Lifeboat Station, it certainly drew a crowd!
After this we went into Berwick to shop, then back to the Caravan to begin as slow and reluctant tidy up and pack!

Monday June 13th: Our 47th Wedding Anniversary, a visit to Wallington

2011-06-13T20:45:00.001+01:00

Sunny for a change first thing, so we packed a flask and took the inland and quieter route through Wooler and Rothbury to arrive at Wallington just after it opened, this is a view of the front entrance

Here is the other side of that impressive gateway.

They can't have been pushed for time when this clock was built as it only has an hour hand!

below the clock were these lovely flowers

And these unusual plants, though exactly what they are I don't know!

This is the rear view of the house,

We walked around the lawn on it's left then crossed the road and into the wood leading slightly downhill for 500 yards to the walled garden, the wood had lots of Rhododendrons

And you pass alongside a large lily pond, but it's too early in the summer for them to be in bloom

Here we are in the Walled Garden, looking down at the little pool that feeds a stream running down through the garden to a distant river.

And this view is looking up at our previous viewpoint

A short walk along the upper left hand terrace brings you to this wonderful greenhouse.

with it's resident cat who obviously lives a life of Riley in these warm and pleasant surroundings!

The flowers in here are huge! and a real treat, here are a few

I couldn't resist this shot as we left the garden

We had a very nice lunch in the Restaurant before leaving and taking this one of the front of the house and the Stone Dragon heads as we headed south to Hadrians Wall

We drove along the road following the wall for some miles and we did get a shot or two

Then turned north along minor roads through splendid scenery like this

Before rejoining main roads at Jedburgh, through Kelso and Coldstream back to camp, we had really enjoyed our Anniversary Day out!

Sunday 12th June: Cove, North Berwick and Eyemouth.

2011-06-12T18:56:00.001+01:00

Cove is best described as a Cornish Fishing Village that got transported to a far northern shore.
At it's peak there were 25 fishermen going out after the herring, that is until "Black Friday the 14th of October 1881" when no less that eleven of the fishermen were lost in a single day.
This link tells the story of the tragedy,

A small brass memorial at the clifftop of the stricken women folk looking out to sea is on the car park, and similar ones are sited at Eyemouth where 129 men were lost, and Burnmouth (24 men) there were other places too and you will find these bronze memorials there.

We found to our diappontment that the wooden steps that lead down to the access road had collapsed, and as Pat couldn't climb over the locked gate, we set off along the clifftop path hoping to at least get a view down onto the harbour.
At one point we came across this strange carved seat, it was cut from a single billet of curved wood, which had been carved away at one end to resemble curved planks, with upright pieces of wood slotted into the grooves, very strange!

Just in front of this "seat we could see down onto the harbour, and I did a panoramic as it was impossible to get it all in!

Note the upward facing curved and jagged rows of rocks outside the harbour, they look like som monstrous animal's ribs!
So then I took this shot of the buildings on the outer harbour side

And noticed that there were two figures in front of one of the doorways.

Happily tucking into some food on the doorstep. On the other side of the harbour is this house, boarded up at the moment, but we have been there when it was open and being used as a holiday cottage.
This could only be reached through a tunnel through the harbour side hill which had been blasted out with gunpowder.

There used to be a network of cellars in the cliff (used it is said for smuggling) but these had to be sealed off as they became unstable.
Thanfully a couple of fishing boats still operate from the little harbour, keeping it alive.
Pat fancied visiting North Berwick so North we went, this is the view along the superb beach, looking north toward the town.

Gorgeous, isn't it? and there are delightful islands out in the bay, too.

And you can see the magnificent Bass Rock, covered in birds (yes those white dots are really birds!)

Then it was nearly lunchtime, so South again to visit our favourite cafe in Eyemouth for Eggs Gammon and chips, followed by a walk along the quay side,as usual there were plenty of fishing boats in,

And apart from the lifeboat on station, two others came in for maintenance at the little shipyard at the end pf the harbour

We also had to see "lady" the harbour seal, who swims near to the fish merchant van on the harbour side, it has the rather jolly name "Eels on Wheels" and does good business selling fish for human consumption, and rather more to feed the seal waiting below!

Then Pat had problems with an ankle and we had to head back to base, thankfully the ankle recovered later.
I had planned a bike ride in the evening, but rain put paid to that idea!

Saturday 11th June: Rain stopped play!

2011-06-11T20:20:00.000+01:00

What a washout! the rain started at 7:00 AM and finally stopped at 8:00 PM!
We did get out (briefly) to go to the Oxford Farm shop for lunch, and stop at the supermarket, and the rest of the day was a restful one indoors.
I did spend some time editing images, here is a Panorama of Cragside House, the home of Lord Armstrong, a genius who was in his day far richer than even Bill Gates!

This house was the first in the world to be illuminated by Electricity, and was at least 100 years ahead of any other residence in the world at the time.

Friday 10th June 2011: Beadnell and Alnmouth

2011-06-10T20:45:00.002+01:00

We were a little late getting started as I printed off a dozen postcards to send to friends and family, then headed down the coast to park at Beadnell Beach. We were lucky with the weather for once here, as though it was breezy, it wasn't freezing cold!
The first thing we noted were the nets set in the shallows

And the sand dunes over to the right reminded us of the days long ago when we and the kids used to skim down the face of these giant dunes on pieces of cardboard!

As always there are many private pleasure boats moored in the shallow water in the lee of the harbour wall.

The harbour is doing well, after the wall had been breached by storms some years ago and it was repaired, paid for by public subscription

In this image you can see the remains of the lime kilns, the original reason for building the harbour, they are used as storage sheds and in danger of falling down!

It was just before 12, so we bought a cheeseburger for Pat and an Egg, bacon and sausage burger for me from the "greasy spoon" van on the car park, and sat on a picnic bench chatting to the lady from the ice cream van, who was, like ourselves, a great fan of Malta, having been born there!
Then on to Alnmouth where we parked on the front and noticed this flock of gulls which seemed to have found a shoal of small fish, tha'ts Coquet island in the background by the way

This is one of the distinctive local fishing cobles with it's bow awning, typical of the local style, once they were out there in dozens, this is the last one!

Then it was time to go supermarket shopping and back to the van, I went out on the Brompton for a ride during the evening, and this was the sunset!

Thursday 9th June 2011 Bamburgh, Seahouses, Rothbury and Cragside

2011-06-09T20:06:00.002+01:00

Lovely sunshine to start the day, so off we went to Bamburgh and took a shot from the village green

before parking near the beach with a view of the Farne Islands and a coffee!

and to our right the Castle looms backlit and majestic behind the dunes.

Then off to Seahouses for a walk on the Harbour, vey busy with the trippers boarding boat for the Farne islands

This is one of our favourite places for photography, and even though we must have taken hundreds of shots of the harbour, we always want to take more!

The journey to Cragside passes through Alnwick and over beautiful scenery to Rothbury, here is a sample

and to lunch in the "Vale" a biker Cafe where the food is both good and inexpensive, then on the Cragside, the home of Lord Armstrong, which was the first house in the world that was lit by electricity. (He was the world's richest man!)
Impressive as these buildings are, they are only the stables!

This by comparison is the house!

The house is simple vast, and when ordinary folk lived in candlelight with smoky fires and earth toilets, this house has central heating, piped hot water, vacuum cleaners, passenger lifts, you name it, it was here first!
And this is the little rockery in front of the house, it descends some 300 feet down into the valley!

there is a carriage drive round the grounds which is 6 miles long, and 40 miles of signposted footpaths to explore!
There are also three large lakes and one small one, this lake is called "Nelly's Moss south Lake" and in the middle of the picture half way up among the trees you should be able to make ut a rocky platform where a picnic table made a great place to sit while we enjoyed a coffee and shared our biscuits with two robins.

A thoroughly enjoyable day!

Wednesday 8th June:Craster. and Low Newton

2011-06-09T06:37:00.003+01:00

A lovely bright morning so we drove across to Alnwick , stopping for a coffee where we could get a view of the castle,

and to shop at the new Sainsburys, then over to visit Craster, where we had an early lunch at the "Piper's Pitch" van, one of the best "Greasy Spoons" anywhere!
This is no ordinary greasy spoon, he has a wide range of offerings, "Kippers in a bun" "Auchtermuchty Sandwiches" (Kippers, Haggis, Bacon) and our favourite "Chicken Supreme" a large piece of chicken breast, slice of bacon, salad, mayonnaise, in a wholemeal bun. Mmmmm!
And inevitably a large mug of sweet tea.

There was even a cheekey Robin to share lunch with us.

Craster has changed a lot over the years, gone are the boats drawn up on the slope, and the logs that used to serve as rollers for the boats, not just a couple of boats remain using the harbour,

The little harbour side gardens are a riot of flowers, like this

And at least one fishing boat was still active.

This little beach used to be busy with boats, recently enough for us to remember.

The sky clouded over and we decided to beat a retreat, but as we headed homeward the sun came out again and we parked at Low Newton, where Pat sat and did some crochet, while I went for a walk and to take some photos.
Here is the view from the hill from the car park, with Dunstanburgh Castle in the background.

This is a Panoramic of Low Newton

And this is the rather splendid view from the curve of the beach with the castle beyond.

And finally, hows this for a home made beach chalet?

By the time I got back we were ready to roll back to the van for a rest!

Tuesday 7th June 2011: A visit from Barbara and a grand time on Lindisfarne

2011-06-07T19:15:00.001+01:00

Barbara (Maybee) very kindly got up very early as she had a long way to come and visited us this morning, so after a coffee, we three went to Lindisfarne as the opportunity to take some photos together was just too good to miss. It decided to spit with rain as we arrived on the causeway, but undetteres we got out of the car and began shooting.
Here is the view looking back to the refuge on the bridge

And over to the right is the refuge on stilts and line of poles of the old pilgrims way, which preceeded the building of the road and the causeway.

WE parked in our usual spot and walked into the village square where this cottage had an attractive flower arrangement outside.

The roses were very attractive

And so were the Clematis

Once through the village square we passed through the creaking turnstiles on the path to the harbour and a grand view of Lindisfarne Priory

Barbara was in her element and shooting away with great gusto

There were some nice views across the bay in the Direction of Bamburgh

Heres another view of the boats

Patty too was clicking away merrily

In among the boats there were subjects galore like this old discarded anchor.

Subjects all around wherever you looked,like this

Various maritime objects are strewn in the long grass

The old time served boats have always been easy on the eye, upturned and tarred and canvassed, they make fine sheds on a island without trees.

Here they have stood as long as I can remember, lined up as no doubt they once were afloat in the harbour. What stories they could tell if only they could speak!

I really liked this little vignette of the ropes coiled on the stern of this boat with the castle out of focus in the distance

And as we left the island we stopped to photograph the island end of the Pilgrims way

Then off we went to the Oxford Farm Shop to enjoy ham salads and Meringues with ice cream and Strawberry Coulis; I did give Barbara fair warning about them, but she bravely ordered one anyway.
The look of surprise when Barbara actually saw the size of the Meringues was priceless!
After this we all went back to the caravan to relax and chat.
Barbara's visit had really made our day!

Monday 6th June, Dunbar and Coldingham Bay

2011-06-06T19:45:00.003+01:00

For once the weather was better than forecast, the morning was bright and this was the view across from our caravan site

Dunbar has a pleasant working harbour, and as usual no parking charges! There were a couple of inshore fishing boats unloading, and in the background you can see the remains of what was once a mighty castle.

Now the home of Kittiwakes, and these characters armed with very expensive long lenses.

This is the object of their interest, nesting Kittiwakes on the Castle ruins.

Incredible though it may seem my little FZ100 easily exceeded the range of those very expensive lenses, here is my shot of one of the nesting birds

Walking back along the quayside I couldn't help noticing the amazing range of places that these fishing boats visit as they follow the shoals, just look at the range of places on these fish boxes!

On then to Coldingham Bay which is literally next door to St Abbs, it has a very nice beach and a pool of fresh water, that was very popular with our kids when they were young.

There is a Cafe and a rather fine beach, with strange pink coloured rocks.

But the footpath up to the car park seems to have got steeper as the years have gone by!

Sunday 5th June 2011: A visit to Seahouses

2011-06-05T20:59:00.000+01:00

Still dull and cold, we decided on a visit to Seahouses to have a walk round and look in the Farne Gift shop, as we have done when up here for the last thirty years or so!
First of course we drove down the coast and just had to have a photo of Bamburgh Castle, in fact this is a panorama of three shots, the only way to get it all in!

On the road out we spotted lots of very large poppies, which were growing in the hedge, but were so large they didn't look like the wild variety

Then on to Seahouses to park by the harbour, and have a good look round the Farne Gift shop for bargains. You can buy everything here, wet suits, mead, artists materials, hats, nuts, ear plugs, sticking plaster... just about anything you can think of!

We could see people queueing for boats to the Farne islands, a rather cool trip today with the biting north wind!

Then a quick look at the cenotaph and a short walk to "Trotters the Baker" for a sit down English Breakfast (we shouldn't I know!) which was thoroughly enjoyed, before we hoped, a walk round the harbour.
At this point the wind got up and it pelted with rain, so we headed back to the car, and camp.
The weather picked up a little after tea (at least the rain stopped) so I did get in a ride down into Spittal and along the promenade on my Brompton.

Saturday 4th June: St Abbs and Eyemouth

2011-06-04T20:46:00.000+01:00

And a definite disappointment with the weather!
Who could have expected that yesterday's high of 28 Degrees C could be followed by a cloudy day with a high of 10 degrees C?
Good grief! and the forecast for the week is really more of the same!
Ah well, we shopped for some wool and a crochet pattern for Pat in Berwick, then drove to St Abbs for a walk round, a pleasure even when the weather isn't so good. Here is a panorame from the outer harbour wall

Even when the tide is out the harbour makes a good photo subject, there are usually divers loading their kit into boats, like these

And I rather like this view with the rather rickety landing stage in the foreground

there are colourful subjects everywhere

And with noon approaching we decided to pop along to Eyemouth to a little cafe on the dockside frequented by the fishermen, (so the prices are sensible and the food good!) where we had Gammon egg and chips ( very nice too) before a short walk along the front, as the wind had a very definite "edge" to it!

Then it was back to camp to our nice warm caravan!

Friday 3rd June 2011 Off to Northumberland!

2011-06-03T20:35:00.000+01:00

Up early and on the road for 8:30 AM, a relatively smooth run up (though there was very heavy traffic moving at a walking pace on the Newcastle Ring Road) we really needed the air conditioning, as the weather was unseasonably hot, at one point the computer recorded 28 Degrees Centigrade outside!
We arrived on site for 1:30 PM, the car returning 34.7 mpg for the trip.
We got a great pitch with a view over Tweedmouth, here it is from the front of the caravan through the open window

With it being so hot we took our time getting set up, and had Baked Potatoes with Prawns in a Marie Sauce (though we got about one third of the prawns while Garfield ate two thirds!
And after tea decided on a walk around the Berwick Defensive walls, parking on the Castle Car park
This is the view down onto the Market Square and the Moot Hall from the bridge over the road

There are several graceful bridges over the Tweed, this is one of the modern ones

A little dock lies below and you can see the larger "Tweed Docks" on the far side of the river.

There are some fine buildings along by the walls, here is a typical example

Berwick is a Garrison town and this is one of the guardhouses.

The old houses have attractive gardens too like this one.

Facing out to sea is "Six Cannon Battery" though only one remains there, and it was captured from the Russians at Sevastopol in the Crimean War. Our daughters used to love to climb on it and have their photos taken.

And finally, a view across the River of out campsite!

Monday 23rd May 2011: Homeward Bound, overnighting at Tewkesbury

2011-05-23T16:31:00.002+01:00

We were packed up and left site for 8:02 AM and despite strong South Westerly side winds, made very good time out out Cornwall, and there were no traffic hold ups, so we arrived at the Caravan Club site in Tewkesbury for 1:30 PM, having done 248 miles and averaged 34.5 mpg which is exvellent when you consider that the car and Caravan were fullly loaded.
We went out to fill up with fuel and have tea in the local Morrisons Supermarket, and I took this shot of Tewkesbury Abbey from the site entrance.

It rained heavily for a couple of hours, but after it stopped and dried up I went out on the Brompton to explore the Abbey district.
Here is another view in it's grounds

There was a very ornate gate to the Abbey

Tewkesbury is an old town with many half timbered buildings, like this one

In the town centre there is an old stone cross, here is the view to the east.

And to the west

There was a degree of tree damage around the little town, and on site too, it had certainly been a breezy day!

Sunday 22nd May Newquay, Coverack, and an evening walk in Porthleven

2011-05-22T21:31:00.000+01:00

The last day of the holiday, and we were fortunate with the weather, so decided to visit Newquay. We couldn't find the park and ride, so went straight into the town centre and there was lots of free parking space, to our surprise, this is the view from the car park

And this figurehead is in an alleyway that runs off the end of the car park, we last saw it looking exactly the same more than 45 years ago!

And there is a bowsprit on the side of the building above the figurehead

The main street runs alongside the harbour and every 20 yards or so an alleyway leads through
to views like this

And here where you can see the main dockyard across the sound

This is from roughly the same position looking back into the town

And this is our last view od the waterfront as we headed back to the car

We felt we must have one last genuine Cornish Pasty for lunch, so we drove to St Keverne on the Lizard and bought a single large pasty to share and a Cinammon Whirl Danish Pastry from the local baker.
We drove to Coverack to eat them in wonderful scenery.

What a wonderful lttle harbour (dated 1750)

We just kept clicking away!

Then it was back to site for a rest and to start sorting round for the journey home tomorrow.
After tea we went for out traditional last evening walk in Porthleven

The wind had dropped and it was pleasant and warm

A pleasant way to end a great holiday.
Here's to the next time!

Saturday 21st May, Lands End, Sennen and evening at Gunwalloe

2011-05-21T21:23:00.000+01:00

We had hoped for a sunny day, but here we were disappointed! it was cloudy windy and cold, but we set of initially for porthcurno, but instead as it was dull we headed for Lands End, and were among the first on the car park

It's highly commercialised and theme parkish these days, look at the view inside the entrance

They work hard to push the local charities

And if you are willing to be "Fleeced" you can be photographed against the signpost with your home town and the mileage on it!

It was so windy and cold we didn't stay long,electing to go down into Sennen Cove where it was shelteres and much milder.

With its thatched cottages and lobster pots it is much more to our taste, and we bought a Pasty each from the shop which we shared with the same seagull from our previous visit!

And the fact that livingstone Daisies sprout from cracks in a stone wall as weeds appeals too!

The weather made it not worth while going too far, so we shopped and returned to the caravan, venturing out again after tea to Gunwalloe fishing cove on the Lizard

The coast is a bit rugged around here!

Built against the Sand Dunes if "St Winwalloes" the Church of the storms, a very attractive simple place of worship

And this is the main beach

Here is the back of the church, note the separate bell tower set into the dunes

And here is the statue of St Winwallow himself, he seems to have lost something from his right hand

inside the church is very simple, with the exception of the roof beams that are intricately carved, and some paintings of saints on the rood screen reminiscent of Russian Orthodox Icons

despite the less than summery weather we had a good day

Friday 20th May 2011 Kynance Cove and an evening local tour

2011-05-21T06:51:00.002+01:00

We couldn't come to Cornwall without a visit to Kynance, even though the walk there from the car park is long and arduous, but this time we chose to take the longer but easier walk down rather than the steeper and shorter descent, here is the view from the rather rough road down.

That point is about halfway to our destination, and then a little further on we come to a headland with this magnificent view.

Here is a closer look,

And closer still, as you can see the tide is still in, more little beaches will be revealed as it goes out,

After passing the loos and the Cafe we arrive at last at the splendid beach.

After a good look round and climbing on the rocks it was time to climb back up to the Cafe and Share a Pasty and a Cornish Cream Tea between us, here you know who enjoyes a jam and clotted cream laden scone!

We had ckosen to have our lunch inside out of the sun but there was an extensive seating area out side the cafe on the small lawn, a few minutes later most of the seats were taken!

Then it was time to return to the car up the steeper though shorter ascent, fortunately there are steps at regular intervals where you can take a breather. great views too!

And closer to the car park looking back,

By this time we needed a rest and headed back to the car for a lazy afternoon, having a tea of baked potatoes with Prawns and home made "marie rose" sauce with a salad (Garfield ate most of the Prawns)
Then out we went for a local run around, here is a very narrow road leading to a clifftop car park at a place called Hendra

A couple of miles to the East we followed the road (which became a very rough track) to the National Trust Property "Rinsey Cliff" with this fine Beam engine house

Below are the magnificent clffs of Rinsey Head

And this somewhat "detached" house

And then on to Portheleven, the terminus for our evening tour.

An altogether super day!

Thursday19th May 2011 Mevagissey

2011-05-19T21:18:00.002+01:00

A fairly long run by Cornwall standards, just under 50 miles from our campsite, but well worth it, we arrrived about 11 AM and set off into the little streets.
This is the cenotaph

And this is the point where you emerge onto the quayside

So we got busy snapping away!

AS you might expect the place is filled with "Golden oldies" cluttering up the place and enjoying the sunshine.

And we kept shooting! Here Pat prepares for her next shot

WE had just about reached the end of the inner harbour

And here is the dividing wall between the inner and outer harbours

And looking back from the same spot

And the inevitable man "messing about in boats"

Another view towards the village

Some bright colours here on boats and buildings

And at last the outer harbour, which always has some water even at low tide

By now it was lunchtime so we bought pasties (Pats Lamb and mint, mine traditional steak) and ate them on a bench on the harbour side, then there was time for a couple more shots before heading back to the car

Wednesday 18th May Launderette day and an evening tour

2011-05-18T21:14:00.001+01:00

The weather forecast for the day was for fog and rain so we decided to go into Penzance to the launderette, and have lunch there, and see how the day panned out after that.
After sorting out the washing we snoozed away the afternoon and were very pleased when the weather relented and the sun came out again, so we had an early tea and drove to St Ives to have a tour along the top coast in the direction of Lands End.
Just after Zennor we came to this iconic Engine House and chimney from the days of the Cornish tin mines.

And a few miles down the road is the village of Pendeen, this view from the cliffs near the lighthouse is looking in the direction of Lands End

At the end of the headland is the "Pendeen Watch" lighthouse

Here is the view of the lighthouse from the other side.

You can see the chimneys of the old tin mines looking in the general direction of Lands End

Rejoining the Lands End road we continued past Sennen and Lands end to take the Porthcurno road, turning off to drop down the very steep and narrow (and scenic) road to the tiny cove of Porthgwarra. There is a car park a couple of houses and a single steep slip down to the beach

This tiny little bay is split by a little headland, this is the view from the top

And from the same spot looking down onto the slipway and the beach

And then to our final spot for the evening, the heights over the Minack Theatre, looking down onto the beautiful Porthcurno Bay.

After a wet start it turned out to be a good day in the end!

Tuesday 17th May 2011 Padstow and evening in Mousehole

2011-05-18T07:44:00.001+01:00

A damp cloudy start and forecast of more of the same didnt put us off and we drove the 45 miles north to visit Padstow, here is the first view of the harbour

Across the harbour we noticed this rather gaudy arrangement of floats and flags on the fishing vessel.

Though the car parks were pretty full there were relatively few people walking around, and only one boat moored next to the inner harbour wall

We decided to have a Fish and Chip lunch in one of the harbourside cafes, but it turned out to be disappointing, the Fish was OK (if rather small) but the chips were without any flavour, I don't recall eating any as bland and unappetising in a very long time!
Any way we walked though to the outer harbour, and it too was very quiet with few moored boats

Some of these inshore fishing boats look top heavy when afloat, but even worse when aground at low tide, look at the proportions of this example!

Walking back to the harbour we passed a very quaint public shelter,

And here is a closer view of the gaudy floats on the trawler, it turned out that a German Film crew from Berlin were filing something involving actors with a 1940 style sports car against the far side (though we couldn't get close)

Then our time was up so back to the car and a pleasant drive to camp, apart from the awful chips and the dull weather, we had enjoyed the visit to Padstow.
After tea Pat wanted to wash her hair, so I took the car down to Moushole, parked and rode the Brompton into the village, here it is parked against a rather nice view of the harbour

There were still people around on the beach and plenty to look at.

Cycling to the other end of the harbour between the cottages and narrow streets was pleasant, though cycling isn't allowed on the harbour itself

I sat for a while and watched the antics of the wet-suit clad youths leaping in from the harbour wall.

This upturned boat made a suitable foreground for a shot across the harbour.

Then the first light touch of rain encouraged me to saddle up and head back to the car.
It had been a dull day, but nevertheless a pleasant one!

Monday 16th May 2011 Falmouth, Porthallow and Porthoustock

2011-05-16T21:02:00.003+01:00

We intended to have a day in Falmouth, but found it too busy with traffic for out taste, so we drove round the scenic drive past Pendennis Castle to park for a walk round the Queen Mary Gardens.
Here was the view across the bay

They looked a bit sparse as they haven't yet been planted up with the summer plants, but are still very nice.
This view was rather different last year when we visited, with the beds jam packed with gorgeous blooms

However there were some areas of the garden in full bloom.

And here

and some very attractive individual flowers

There are some pleasant paths in the garden

Behind the gardens there is a small but very nice beach, and all the usual facilities

In the distance to our left we could make out Pendennis Castle on the headland we had just driven round

Walking back through the garden to the car we saw these cactus blooms above our heads!

The most amazing flowers grow between the stones as weeds, these were on the car park

By now we were looking for somewhere for lunch, and we chanced on a bakery at St Keverne on an industrial estate. He produced superb pasties and also Strawberry Flans that were a little bit different to the usual ones in that the pastry base had a thick chocolate coating!
They were by local standards cheap, too, the pasties were £2.30 and the Strawberry Flans only 80 pence each, it made a heart dinner for a small sum.
We departed from St Keverne feeling rather full and followed the very narrow (and steep) little road down into Porthallow, a charming village with a shingle beach, loos and a car park with an honesty box instead of an exhorbitant fee, splendid!
Here is the shore and village

And from the same spot outwards

Then after several miles of narrow twisty road, Porthoustock was in many ways similar, though there was a large quarry still operating at the mouth of the bay, here is the village, note the home port of the fishing boat, "North Sheilds" he is a long way from home!

Again the beach was shingle though some so fine it was almost sand.
By now we were ready to take a steady ride back to camp.