This is marked as the toughest walk in the Brecon Becons & South Wales book and it turned out to be living up to its name. The most difficult part was trying to not get lost on Bryn Rhudd at the same time as not loosing interest in the walk as well. The views on there are almost desert-like, nothing but dried grass and boggy moors. Even the sheep are sensible enough not to stray that far from the valleys.

The day of the walk also happened to be the hottest day so far in 2010 and the humidity was excruciating. Despite it still not being a complete sunny day I managed to rack up quite a nasty sunburn and don’t forget we are talking about Wales of all places – go figure

This walk also takes you to some very remote areas of Wales and in the 6h 20min it took me to walk it I didn’t see a single person until reaching the Glangwesyn farm when I asked for directions.

After the walk I took a drive in my car up through the valleys of the man-made Llyn Brianne reservoir that was completed in 1972 so the same young age as I. Some nice views there so definitely recommended!

Valley above Afon Gwesyn – Cwm Gwesyn	Cwm Gwesyn
Cwm Gwesyn	Cwm Gwesyn
Cwm Gwesyn	Afon Gwesyn / Cwm Gwesyn
Afon Gwesyn	Cwm Gwesyn
Afon Gwesyn	Afon Gwesyn
View of the small stream Nant Fedwen fawr from the Gwesyn valley	View of the small stream Nant Fedwen fawr from the Gwesyn valley
Cwm Gwesyn (view N->S)	Afon Gwesyn waterfalls
Afon Gwesyn waterfalls	Southward view of the Gwesyn valley from Bryn Glas
The cairn on top of Drygarn Fawr (641 m)	Westward view of Drygarn Fawr and the cairn on top of it
The track below the Eithaf or Ganol ridge	The track below the Eithaf or Ganol ridge
Irfon valley	Brianne reservoir
SW view of the Brianne reservoir from the viewpoint above Carreg Chlochdy	Brianne reservoir
Brianne reservoir	Brianne reservoir at the dam
The Brianne reservoir spillway	bottom of the Brianne reservoir dam
Brianne reservoir dam spillway
Brianne reservoir at the dam	Brianne reservoir at the dam
Valley above Afon Gwesyn – Cwm Gwesyn

V sredo, 24. marca 2010 je v Walesu v veljavo stopil pravilnik Valežanske Skupščinske Vlade (Welsh Assembly Government), ki prepoveduje uporabo elektronskih (električnih) ovratnikov pri psih in mačkah.

Ti ovratniki se v večini primerov uporabljajo za odpravljanje neželenih vedenjskih navad pri psih. V skupščinski debati so utemeljili pravilnik s tem, da so ti ovratniki nepotrebno mučenje živali in pogosto ostanejo orodje lenih in brezbrižnih lastnikov, ki ne znajo odpravljati neželenih navad pri svojih hišnih ljubljencih na noben drug način.

Storilca, ki krši ta pravilnik lahko doleti zapor do 1 leta (51 tednov) in/ali denarna kazen do £5.000 (~€5.700)

Wales je prva država/pokrajina znotraj Velike Britanije, ki je uvedla takšno prepoved. Organizacije, ki se borijo za zaščito živali, se zavzemajo za takšno prepoved v celotni Britaniji.

That these collars are no gentle persuasion tools can be discovered by watching people trying them on themselves. In this video the guy tests it on himself and it starts at about 3.30 min, but you can watch the whole thing, I don’t care. This other video is shorter and its tested by a girl.

Both the above videos are actually very funny as they are done under consent, but it does have a serious back tone as dogs probably wouldn’t be so prepared to wear them.

Aja, pardon, sem šele zdaj opazil, da sem gornji del začel pisat v angleščini. Se mi ne ljubi zdej spreminjat.

• Uradno sporočilo za javnost valežanke skupščinske vlade: http://wales.gov.uk/topics/environmentcountryside/ecnewsevents/ralatestnews/walesbansshockcollars/?lang=en
• Po dolgem iskanju na straneh Valežanske skupščinske vlade, sem pravilnik dejansko našel na OPSI strani: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/wales/wsi2010/wsi_20100943_en_1 (različica v PDF)
• Novica na RSPCA strani: http://www.rspca.org.uk/media/news/story/-/article/EM_ElectricShockCollarBanInWales_Mar10
• Kampanija v Kennel Club: http://www.banshockcollars.org.uk/
• Novica na BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8584028.stm

Here are just some of the best photos from the trip.

Gigrin Farm red kite feeding centre in Rhayader	Stunning view of the Elan valley
Craig Goch	Craig Goch
Penygarreg reservoir	Claerwen reservoir
Claerwen reservoir	View from the dam at Claerwen reservoir (a red kite nest is in the trees in the lower right of photo)
Devil's Bridge railway station	Beddgelert
Seagull on Snowdon at Llyn Llydaw	Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
The Menai and Britannia bridges as seen from the Marquess of Anglesey's Column

Woody Pines (woodypines.com)

What a great night. Never though I would like country & western music. Funny thing to hear it in the heart of Wales.

The guys played great and made a great atmosphere despite the hall not being completely full.

As a fellow guitarist I was impressed and did appreciate how quickly the vocalist and guitarist Woody recovered from a broken guitar string.

By the way, I thought the name of the band “Woody Pines” came from an association with the local North Carolina forests. In fact that is the name of the apparent leader of the group Woody (last name Pines, of course).

They are currently touring Scotland and they come very warmly recommended!

http://woodypines.com/

http://www.myspace.com/woodypines

Had a big snowstorm last night that covered Pembrokeshire with a bit of snow. These photos taken from a hike up to the highest peak in the Preseli hills – Foel Cwmcerwyn. Very windy at the top!

Near Foel Cwmcerwyn	Near Foel Cwmcerwyn
Near Foel Cwmcerwyn	Foel Feddau, looking towards Newport (Carn Ingli on the left)
This was actually taken near Stansted Airport just before Christmas

Danes, 30. septembra 2009, se izteče rok za oddajo vlog za gostilniški netačaj, kjer je glavna in edina nagrada – gostilna sama. Cena za vstop v natečaj je bilo 20 funtov in število sprejetih vlog je omejeno na 30.000.

Kot rečeno bo zmagovalec natečaja postal lastnik gostilne The Plash Inn & Brewery Cottage, ki se nahaja v majceni vasici Llanfallteg v Carmarthenshire-ju v Walesu. Skupna vrednost celotnega objekta je 300.000 funtov. Če torej prodajo vse karte potem bi lahko trenutni lastniki lahko dobili celo dvakratno vrednost nepremičnine. Število kart, ki jih je lahko kupil posameznik, ni bilo omejeno in tako si je lahko vsak še povečal možnost za zmago.

Več na www.winapubinwales.co.uk

Posodobitev:

Gostilno je zadel g. Borley iz mesta Swansea.

V mesecu juniju 2009 so pričeli nedaleč od tod s snemanjem naslednje filmske upodobitve princa tatov – Robina Hooda.

Lokacija, kjer poteka snemanje, se imenuje Freshwater West in gre za eno lepših plaž v Pembrokeshire-ju in Wales-u nasploh. Tu so pejšnji mesec celo snemali naslednji film o Harryu Potterju. Produkcija za Robina Hooda pa je precej večja in vključuje veliko več ljudi in opreme. Pred tedni so imeli v bližnji dvorani avdicijo za statiste in prijaviti se jih je hotelo veliko več, kolikor je bilo mest na voljo.

Ogled galerije.

Ker je produkcija tega filma tako velika, so uspeli pri občini (izraz občina upoorabljam kot nadomestilo za county council, v tem konkretnem primeru Pembrokeshire County Council) dobiti dovoljenje za dvotedensko zaprtje lokalne ceste, ki poteka mimo plaže, kjer se bo snemalo največ prizorov. Očitno prihaja do manjših zamud, saj so morali zaprositi za podaljšanje tega dovoljenja za nekaj dni.

Sam sem bil priča snemanju prejšnji torek. Čeprav so govorili, da bo plaža odprta za javnost, to skoraj ni bilo mogoče realizirati, saj je med snemanjem tam ogromno opreme in statistov, tako da do plaže sploh nisi mogel, je bila pa odprta pot ob plaži in ima tudi posebno ime – Pembrokeshire coastal path. Na njej je bilo kar nekaj opazovalcev in fotografov, ki so opazovali dogajanje med snemanjem. Očitno so se pripravljali na snemanje spopadom med nekakšno srednjeveško pehoto s sulicami in konjenico. Stal sem ravno nad severnim delom plaže, kjer so ravno takrat počivali konji z jezdeci. Na sliki se prav dobro vidi, da so precej izmučeni in da se jim kaj dosti ne da. Ko jih je šef začel klicati naj grejo na konje, jih je moral včkrat nadreti naj že spravijo riti na sedla in odsmrdijo do snemališča.

Sredi zaliva pred Freshwater West plažo je bilo kar nekaj plovil, nekateri v stilu robinhoodovskih časov (baje) in nekateri malo bolj današnji. No, iz enega iz slednje skupine se je vsake toliko časa izpustil gost oblak dima – verjetno je šlo za posebno meglo, ki jo uporabljajo za snemanje. Ta megla se je najprej razprostrla preko zaliva in potem še naprej na celino in prav čudno je smrdela.

Tik pred snemanjem se je potem pojavil še helikopter za katerega sem najprej sumil, da je pripeljal glavne zvezde – najverjetneje pa je bil uporabljen samo za snemanje – na nosu je imel namreč namontirano ogromno okroglo belo ohišje s kamero v njej. Ko snemanja ni bilo, je šel začasno “parkirat” na bližnji hrib. Takoj, ko se je snemanje nadaljevalo, je zopet zaštartal motorje in nadaljeval delo. Meni je bilo vse skupaj precej zanimivo, ker še nikoli nisem bil na prizorišču snemanja filma, kaj šele za snemanje tako velikega holivudskega filma. Bi bilo kar kul, če bi me spustili na plažo, da bi si zadevo bolje ogledal in kaj poslikal – avtogram Russel-a Crowe-a me namreč niti malo ne interesira.

Na trenutke je bilo dogajanje na plaži kar gledljivo, prav kamlu pa se mi je začelo dolgočasit. Prav hecno pa je bilo gledati eno prvih vaj pri spopadu prej omenjene pehote in konjenice. Ko se je režiser zadrl “Action” in ko so planili eni proti drugim, se je režiser kmalu zadrl “Cut”. Statisti so bili očitno toliko zagreti ali pa so začasno oglušeli, da so nadaljevali z bitko, tako da se je moral režiser še večkrat zadreti Rez …  rez, da so končno prenehali s klofanjem. Fotograf, ki je spremljaj dogajanje mi je povedal, da gre za igralce rugbija, ki so bili precej zagreti za dober “fajt”.

Na koncu sem si še mimogrede ogledal prizorišče snemanja, ki naj bi še prišlo na vrsto – ob plaži, nad plitvimi pečinami, so postavili nekakšne manjše enostavne koče.

Na dan pa že curljajo novice iz samega snemanja. Čisto slučajno se je kolegičina mama uspela slikati z glavnim igralcem Russelom Crowom. Sem pa iz zanesljivih virov izvedel, da je nek statist, ki je bil zaposlen kot veslač v filmu, stopil do Russel-a in ga poprosil za fotografiranje ali avtogram. Russel mu je obljubil, da ni problema in se lahko zmenita, ko pride nazaj. No, nazaj je prišel le nek asistent , ki je tipu (veslaču) zabičal, naj ne nadleguje glavnega igralca in naj se pod nosom obriše za fotografijo in avtogram. Pijar, da mu ni para.

View towards the south. You can see a tractor "combing" the sand next to the wood stacks

Slišal sem tudi za novico, da se je pri snemanju prevrnila barka na kateri so bili konji z jezdeci. Kar nekaj jih je bilo pripeljano v lokalno urgenco. Konjem, po poročilih, ni bilo nič hudega. So pa imeli še eno težavo, ko so spet druge barke pri snemanju, nasedle na mivko. Pri tem je prišlo do hujših težav s posebnimi motorji Mercury Verado saj so se ti, kljub mehki mivki, poškodovali. Poklicati so morali neko lokalno podjetje, ki je zastopnik za te motorje, da so zadevo rešili.

Snemanje bo potekalo še kar nekaj dni in na dan bo, prav gotovo, prišlo še kar nekaj zanimivosti.

Ogled galerije.

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Še nekaj fotografij, zmontiranih v filmček, avtorja wizard327:

Ever since I moved to Wales 2 years ago I had a quiet wish to climb the highest peak in this country – Snowdon. Last weekend was showing to be a perfect opportunity to fulfil that wish. I was working only till 12 pm and the forecast was for sunshine and high temperatures stretching way into the following week. Getting some good literature, so you know what your are doing, is very advisable.

View from Garnedd Ugain: to the right is Snowdon and to the left is Y Lliwedd with its three peaks ) from left Lliwedd Bach, East peak and West peak. Any similarities with Triglav are strictly coincidental

If you are based in southwest Wales it is a good idea to head up there on the day before you are climbing as the road trip takes you over three hours. There are no motorways or even dual carriageways between the south and north parts of Wales! Instead of going for a more expensive option of a hotel or B&B (the decision to go to Snowdon was make pretty late and the hotel accommodations were either not available or very pricey) I opted for a campsite. The last camping I did was for a skydiving tournament that was held in my “home” DZ in Prečna near Novo mesto a few years back and I was a bit worried I might forget to bring along something essential. Hold that thought.

See the full photo gallery here.

There was a slight snag with camping in this part of Wales. I looked at the weather forecast and the low day temperatures were very, very close to freezing – and I mean 0° or 1°C. This was the forecast for Llanberris. So instead I went for campsites a bit closer to the sea and, of course, the warmth. I found one close to the town of Penrhyndeudraeth called Barcdy. Would recomend it, but it is a bit more pricey then others: it cost £10/person/night for a tent – other campsites were around £6 or £7. The additional problem you might have to contend with is kids – there was a family that came to the camp after me and they put up their tent right next to mine and, you guessed it, had a bunch of very noisy kids with them. Don’t seem to be a big fan of them, but would maybe feel different, if they were mine – and I stress – MAYBE .

Coming back to the issue of forgetting things – by some strange reason I forgot to take my sleeping bag with me – when I returned home on Sunday it was there, sitting on the floor in my bedroom, waiting to be taken along. I put all my camping stuff on one big pile to pack in the car and somehow I missed it. Thank god for sat-navs and Tesco Extra. I found one in Bangor that was open 24/7 and had a good selection of camping gear. The other unpleasant thing that happened was my car. At about 2 or 3 am it decided it is being attacked or stolen and the alarm went off. Now usually I wouldn’t be that upset about it but it was parked just outside the tent about 2 m away from my head with not much soundproofing in-between (if you can consider a tent wall soundproofing, that is).

[umap id="34149" size="t" alignment="left"]The following morning I set of quite early and arrived at the Pen-y-pass car park at about 7am as the parking spaces were just running out. Some trekkers were already returning from the summit! Come to think of it, it might have to do with the parking as there were no parking attendants at that time in the morning. Just a word of warning – bring enough change. The parking is a pay-and-display and it is quite expensive, especially if you are staying longer than 3 or 4 hours as the parking is about £6 and the machine does not take notes. At that time in the morning there is nowhere to get change so you have to bring enough along. I, of course, did not have enough but an angel appeared in a form of another climber who saw my predicament and just gave me the missing three pounds in coins – just like that. I couldn’t believe what happened, I was in shock. I quickly realized I did have a £5 note and I ran after him and caught him on the parking lot just before he set off to the summit, gave him the £5 note and thanked him for about the fifth or sixth time. Really, why should he be out of pocket, I did had the money but just not in coins. See, there are still some nice people going around who will help you when you need it. I don’t know his name but I am sure his good deeds will be rewarded sooner or later.

The trek itself started off on a reasonable steep incline, with the morning sun warming my shoulders. I started on the Pyg track and then turned right on top of the pass to continue on the Crib Goch path. Now I would not recommend this route for beginners or young children – it can be very tricky. The majority of the track runs along the Crib Goch ridge and in some places is only about a metre wide with sheer cliffs on either side. Then you also have to contend with the wind trying to blast you off the cliff. If you have fear of hights then give this route a miss. You also might freeze on that ridge from fear and getting you down could prove to be very tricky. The route is also not recommended as a descend from Snowdon. I was surprised how much climbing was actually involved, much more than I was used to in mountains in Slovenia. This took a toll on my legs and I had to stop a few times, even on the descent, to relive the cramps in my upper legs.

There were not many climbers on the Crib Goch path but once you reach the 3m marker stone you joined the rest of climbers from the Pyg and Miners track and there were loads of them on that beautiful day. On this weekend it was like downtown Haverfordwest – full of people. The remainder is a short walk up to the summit walking by the Snowdon railtrack.

The Snowdon Mountain Railway goes right to the top of the Snowdon summit edit Delete caption

The descent on the Miners Track was a bit tedious and still quite stressful on the legs – it is almost completely covered by rock slabs and that does not make a very comfortable walking surface. In other places you have smaller stones and there you have to watch you dont sprain an ancle. There are some nice views of the lakes (see photo gallery) and the end part of the track is very easy – like a walk in a park

At the time of my trek on May 30th the top railway station was closed for renovations and there were no refreshments or toilets available. I was surprised not to see a local entrepreneur selling us drinks and snacks – I remember seeing someone at the top of Triglav and there definitely weren’t as many people on that summit as there were on Snowdon.

Glaslyn lake

Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire

Of course not literally, but it was published today in the local newspaper that the Freshwater West (the location of one of my recent trecks: The difference is in the Angle) will be used as a filming location for the upcoming movies Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood remake.

The debate is now mostly concerning whether the beach will still be opened to the public and when the road will be closed during the filming in May and June 2009. The biggest problem I see is that there isn’t much parking available close to the beach anyway so I suppose that is why they will shut the road off.

See the gallery from the hike here and here are some photos taken of the beach…

• Beach assurance over Potter film (BBC)

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I am convinced you everyone will see the huge difference in the views you see on the north side of the peninsula, compared to the south – while on the north side you see the beautiful town of Angle, but then as you move further along you are met with the view of all the petroleum and gas industries in the area with their huge piers and tall chimneys. And as you continue to the south part of the peninsula all that you can see is the vast ocean.

The Chevron oil refinery

A small guard fort, probably from Napoleonic times. St. Ann's head in the distance on the right

The walk started on a very sunny day with hardly a cloud in the sky. As it was Easter Sunday I was better off arriving early as the crowds of tourists were soon to follow. Luckily only the beach parking area and Freshwater West beach were busy, the rest of the path not so much as people opted not move more than 500 metres from their cars.

The tower house in Angle

OK, so I don’t forget to mention this. It is about a reference in the hiking book to a  “leafy lane” – word of warning – the trees above are covered with nests and you would probably want to avoid the poo projectiles coming from the heavens. I also advise changing the path a little bit in the town of Angle by continuing pass the church on the right and turning right on a path through the playground, which, on the other side, continues towards an old guard tower.

As you continue on the coastal path you get the opportunity to have good look of the new LNG South Hook gas terminal – it recently had its first shipment of gas from Qatar and I heard the tanker that was docked in front of the terminal was spectacular.

The more exhausting part of the route is from West Angle beach to Freshwater West, there are many valleys to climb down and just as many to climb up from. A good idea is to pace yourself, especially on the ascent.

Have a look at the photo gallery but the photos, as usual, do not do the »live« views justice.

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This one the walk no 27 taken from the book and is a bit of a deviation from the books theme – it being that there are 41 circular walks in Pembrokeshire. Well this walk is still in Pembrokeshire but it is not at all circular. However the authors can be forgiven for this as it is a very nice easy walk with some nice views, especially at the main Slebech estate (see their website for more details. If you are a birdwatcher then this walk should definitely not be missed. In quite a few places along the road you can reach the Eastern Cleddau and gaze upon the views of the river and the bird population that occupy it.

See the complete photo gallery here.

There is also quite a bit of history related to the Slebech estate and the church. It dates from the 12th century A.D. when the grounds were owned by the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem who “have their roots” in the first crusade. Cool.

I just love this photo, I think it is good enough to be framed

This was the longest of the walks in the book and a walk not to be reckoned with. It is long and by the end you just really want to see that lighthouse in the distance.

The authors say in the beginning of the walk »Although the longest of the walks in this book, there is nothing difficult about its undertaking« – Yeah right, either they (both authors) came home from this walk and their egos were to big to admit the agonizing pain in their muscles or they had themselves a post-hike LSD trip.

However there is apossibility I brought the toughness of this trip on myself as I completely forgot to bring along something to drink ending-up being rather dehydrated by the end of the hike. There are no refreshments to be bought on the way, not even in the part that runs through Goodwick

St. Gwyndaf's church in Llanwnda

A word of warning, in the first part of the walk as you leave the coastal path to start-up Garn Fawr it is a bit confusing as to where to turn. Do NOT continue on the paved lane. This will only end in tears – tears due to the realization you have to go back as you have gone the wrong way. There path signs is missing, well, I say missing. I found it hidden in the grass on the ground.

I was also quite surprised to find an inscribed stone commemorating the last invasion of Britain – by the French none-the-less in 1897 at Carregwastad Point. What were they doing here, we all know where France is, I presume they shot their navigator.

See the excellent gallery here.

Memorial stone on Carregwastad Point commemorating the landing of the French on 22 February 1797

Looking down towards Cwm mawr

What a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a March Sunday. In fact it was so nice I wish the hike would have lasted a bit longer. Instead I took the opportunity to sit and enjoy the sunshine on the wooden bench by the Sychbant car park were this walk starts and ends.

The walk (no. 39: Mynydd Caregog and Carn Ingli) starts off with a nice steep hill and then should continue in a conifer forest. As this has now been cut down the walk continues in something more resembling a wasteland. Conifers are not a native tree in this area and due to the concervationalism of today a more proper forest is being planted. However I haven’t seen any signs of the this today.

a Pembrokeshire traffic obstacle

Once you leave this so-called forest the view changes into a more familiar Preseli hillside on the Carningli Common. The Carn Edward stone group did not really draw my intention so I skipped it and rather choose the hilltop on my left – Carn Briw – no doubt being, again, a decision influenced by my Slovene origins.

If you are walking in the area the ruins of the Carn Ingli fort (the translation of Carn Ingli is the “Hill of angels”) is a definite must-see, if not for looking at it, at least by climbing on top of it and enjoying the views. I attempted to bring the view to you but not getting the live experience does give the place its justice.

The book then states you should circle the fort on its north side and then find a path towards the hill on the eastern side. This is actually quite tricky but I was either lucky or my navigation experiences proved to be the basis of some good instincts. I though I completely missed those two poles and the tramway that were supposed to be somewhere on the descent. Instead I ended-up right on top of them – spot on!

See the complete photo gallery here.

The walk then continues towards some farms and ends up in the Cwm gwaun valley. The “second” part of the walk continues on a delightful path on the opposite side of the valley and there was absolutely nobody on it but myself. You will find a stunning forrest scenery, abandoned farms and even an abandoned mill.

I would definitely recommend this trek to anyone and the muddiness factor was quite low.

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This walk seemed the muddiest of them all, in fact I am wandering how exactly to wash my walking shoes and the washing machine is getting to be the favourite. This is the walk no. 32 and can easily be combined with no. 33 (Treffgarne Gorge) as they both start from the same point. That was actually my plan but my walking shoes got filled with lots of lovely mud hindering any furter hikes that day. OK, I admit, am being a bit of a wus, but I was lucky this happened towards the end of the walk.

The hike starts from the Nant-y-coy Mill and takes you on the right side of the valley north-westerly. The first part worth seeing is the valley in about mid-way into the hike – around the farm at North Hill. The path after that is a bit different from the one mentioned in the book as the Pembrokeshire County Council approved some modifications to the public path. These were made in September 2008. It now takes you round the farm to the left and then joins the original route at the top of the hill – the Great Treffgarne Mountain. That is the most spectacular part with great views in all directions. There are also these peculiar stones dotted on the top of the hill, each some way from another.

After that the path became very unpleasant as one farmer completely ignored the fact there is a path there. It was changed to a mud-bath instead of a field. At one moment, thinking I was stepping onto a reasonably solid mixture of mud and cow poo, I instead stepped into something much more liquid-like making my foot sink way beyond ankle deep. My left foot got completely soaked and my right one didn’t fare much better. Grrrrrrrr!!! I thought the farmers were supposed to be more considerate about the public paths – in fact it seemed that in that area the farmers trash the paths to discourage hikers from using them.

I was later told they have no such obligations and the paths are of secondary importance to their ownership of the land the path is on. I feel a bit nostalgic for the days in Yugoslavia (Slovenia) where a lot of land was nationalised for the common good.

Hmmm, gives me ideas

See the gallery here.

Coetan Arthur burial chamber on St Davids Head

OK, same book used from the last walk, but this time it was walk no. 11:  St David’s Head and Carn Llidi. You start off at Whitesands near St David which is convenient as there is lots of parking available – you will be charged parking if you come during the tourist season.

The Carn Lidi hill is a prominent feature in southern Pembrokeshire and you can see it from miles away. In fact I could clearly see it from the Preseli mountains from the a trek I did a couple of weeks ago to Foel Eryr. The walk is straightforward enough but by the time I got to the north-western part of the walk the wind was really really strong. In fact I was a bit tempted to do some skydiving practice by performing some RW (relative work) positions.

At this point I was barely able to stand up properly, yet alone take a photo

As I turned inland and looked towards the summit of Carl Llidi the slovene genes in me were starting to kick-in again and the unexplainable urge to climb on top of stuff was getting the better of me. As I got about mid way to the top I was met by these small thick and very thorny bushes for which I know somebody somewehere knows the latin name of. In my book they are probably something like Frutex dolens vulgaris (the common painful bush). There were some very narrow paths through this bushy thorniness and as I was scrambling up I surprised a few horses that were grazing below the summit. I tried to ignore them but the relation was not reciprocated. The presence of so many horses explained the huge ammount of poo that I was forced to walk around on my way to the top.

The poo tredding and thorny bush evasion was immediately forgotten as I came to the top – the views were just stunning, you could see for miles all around you 360°. I was a bit worried about lightning as there was a storm approaching from the north and as I was standing on the top of the hill I was really sticking-out towards the sky as a sticky thing on a stick on a sticky day.

Getting down the hill, however, proved to be even trickier than the trip up as I nearly got blown over by the gale force winds. I took a different route to avoid the above mentioned Frutex dolens vulgaris only to be met by more of the also above mentioned horse poo and your general bog-standard mud. It seemed like you were walking a path and came to a part where it was so muddy you had to take a detour only to find out the detour is covered in sh*t. So the choice was: wet and muddy shoes or dry and crappy shoes.

Just as I was approaching the Whitesands car-park I was met by these beautiful scenes of a sunset above the ocean facing east south-east. Sorry for the poor quality as I took it with my Nokia N95 phone cam. Not happy with it, plan on getting an iPhone anyway soon

Beautiful sunset above the sea at Whitesands

For more photos please visit the gallery HERE.

I have tried to visit this place before but the last time got a bit dissapointed as there was the standard parking fee. Today was a very good time to see the place, sunny and not a lot of people on it. Oh yes, and the parking was free. By the way, I am all for conservation and good old cash goes a long way in conservation but ripping local of so that they can use the local nature is just wrong. The place sees a lot of tourists but the rest of Pembrokeshire-ians live here and want to enjoy the surroundings so why are the locals charges just as tourists are.

In any case, Marloes Sands is definately not to be missed if you visit Pembrokeshire. Different from lonf sandy beaches like Pendine, Newgale or Whitesands there is lots of interesting tectonics that make Marloes Sands very uniquie to the point of being eerie. I kept on expecting dinosaurs to come charging at me round the corner.

See the album by clicking here.

This is the name of a 7 mile (11 km) stretch of sandy beach located on the south Wales coastline between Tenby and Swansea. The most impressive feature of this beach is its flatness and straightness at such a long length. You can see the satellite view below.

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In the early 20th century the sands were often used as a racing course and later, in the 1920s, it was used for land speed records. It was even used as an aircraft runway. Durine the 2nd world war the sands were taken over by the British MOD who used it as a firing range. It owns it to this day, but it is open to the public. There are, however many signs that warn visitors about possible unexploded devices. From 2004 the Sands are closed to vehicles due to safety reasons, but, on occasions, there are some rally car events staged there. Some episodes of BBC’s Top Gear were filmed there. Is an example…

To see the photos taken on this trip click here to enter Picasa.

For more information about Pendine Sands please visit the Pendine Sands Wikipedia page.

There is a good parking area by the entrance to the Sands. There is a Speed museum there as well. When I arrived there I could see many horses in the car park that were used for horseback riding on the Sands. As mentioned at the top the Pendine Sands are 7 miles long and I certainly didn’t really want to walk the whole length. Don’t get me wrong, they look spectacular but after walking for 10 minutes it feels a bit like a damp sand desert. But you can see a huge stretch of water – slightly reminded me of Daytona beach. However Daytona Beach beach is about 23 miles (37 km) long.

I later moved down the coast and visited the litle village of Laugharne. First I stopped at St. Martin’s church on the northern part of the village in which grounds the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas is buried in. After that I proceeded towards Laugharne castle in the southern part of Laugharne.

St. Martin's church in Laugharne

Laugharne castle

The Pierhead building in Cardiff Bay

Always wanted to see the capital of Wales but always ended up just drive pass it on the M4. The closest I ever got to the actual city centre was to visit the local Ikea store while I was still in the process of furnishing my small flat in Haverfordwest.

Here are some more detailed instructions for those who might want to see it also but don’t know how to get there. As I came from the west I took the A4232 from the M4 and got off going toward Penarth and Penarth Marina. There is parking available at the south end of the Barrage.

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The only problem is that it is not that cheap. There is a P+R (Park and Ride) available close to the A4232 for £3 while at the south Barrage park it is £0.50 per hour. However, once there you can have a look at how the barrage locks work. After that you can take a walk on the barrage across the bay to Cardiff bay and Mermaid Quay. The other option is to walk to the inner side of the bay next to the parking lot and take the water bus to Mermaid Quay. A return ticket will cost you £5. As I had just missed the boat I decided to take a walk but you have to keep in mind the barrage is in operation and the locks that they use to get the boats in and out of Cardiff bay seem to be very busy. There are 3 locks at the barrage and once one of the bridges goes up you cannot cross. All you can do is wait.

The Norwegian church in Cardiff Bay

Once you get to the other side of the barrage you will see parts of the old docks that now sit there, abandoned. Just as you enter Mermaid Quay you will see the Norwegian church that was built in 1868 for the use of the Norwegian community in Cardiff. Today it is not used as a church anymore but has been converted into an arts centre and café.

The red dragon will lead the way / Y ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn

The Cardiff bay and Marmaid Quay offers a large variety of restaurants and cafés as well as some interesting architecture like the Welsh National assembly building, The Pierhead building… In fear of being an obvious geeky tourist I hesitated from taking photos of every single building.

The Cardiff Quay is a way out of the Cardiff city centre so it will take a bus or even better the Aquabus that takes you up the river Taff right to Cardiff castle and The Millenium Stadium. The trip takes just under half an hour. As the Aquabus rides along the Taff river you get a good view of the Millenium Stadium which offers tours of the place, just remember to go to the other side, to Westgate street. I found that only after I came home and researched it on the internet

... not an actual photo from Zushi

After going round the city centre I stumbled upon a sushi bar (Zushi) and gave it a try, never been to one of these places and always wanted to see what sushi was all about. Was a bit confused by the conveyor belt and what exactly each dish was – the menu wasn’t to helpful either as it only told you what price was associated with a particular plate colour. So I played it safe and ordered noodles from the menu – expecting a small overpriced dish of noodles and salmon but getting something that looked more like a huge salad bowl, like the one I have at home. There was also a strange wooden ladle in it. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was for: did they want to employ me and have the rest of the customers served with my lunch?? At the end I couldn’t resist myself and I had to ask the waiter – it is apparently to sip the stir the soup and noodles

Image via Wikipedia

After lunch I decided to head home. I was warned about walking the streets from the city centre to the bay so I opted in for a bus which, again, brought me to a steep learning curve situation where I was rather puzzled what to do next after I paid the driver. I kept on expecting the ticket to appear out of the box I just shoved some coins in, only to be directed by a patience-loosing bus driver that I had to take the ticket out of a different box – how was I supposed to know that??!! I am still a tourist you know To top my ignorance I asked a rather silly question which I found quite reasonable at the time – I asked the driver how will I know if it is the the right bus stop I have to get off. The driver smirked and told me that it will be the last stop of the route. – Well, again, how was I supposed to know that either. I come from Ljubljana where we on certain routes, like the no. 7 have bus routes that have the end bus stop somwehere else in relation to where the bus stops to go back the other way. Then, as another example, there is the number 2 route that is actually a circular route. So there

I came back to Mermaid Quay only to realise I would have to wait over half an hour for the water bus to the south barrage so I decided to walk again – it was, anyway, a nice and sunny afternoon.

Great trip, would advise it to anybody. I didn’t get to see all parts as planned but that can be left for future weekends.

P.S. The »The red dragon will lead the way« title is the Cardiff moto. In Welsh it is »Y ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn«

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http://picasaweb.google.com/Martin.McDowell/Cardiff

Tenby harbour with the Quay on left, lifeboat station above it, Castle Hill in the centre top

I have put it off for a long time but a sightee-er to Tenby was well due. The town of Tenby lies on the south Pembrokeshire coast and if leaving from Haverfordwest can take the road across the Cledau bridge or you can, by saving the 75p bridge toll and, depriving the Pembrokeshire County Council , go through Canaston Bridge.

St. Catherine's Island with Castle beach in foreground

I had the privilege to see it on a beautiful sunny July day in 2008. There are a few parking spots close to town but the multi-storey car park is your best bet. See map here. I have been to a few British seaside towns but this beats them all with it delightful charm and lack off cheesy entertainment that so often can be found in the stereotypical British seaside town. As I was born in Portsmouth I feel free to slag it off as an example to my point.

I wanted to take the opportunity and see Caldey island, which is just off the coast from Tenby but at is was a Sunday and the island is de facto run by monks it was closed. All you could take is sightseeing boat trips round the island. I was on the seal safari trip. Besides getting really up close to some curious seals I had the chance to get a first seat view of the Tenby lifeboat being pulled back up into the lifeboat house. For those who are not familiar with the procedure of launching the RNLI lifeboats in Tenby is that they keep the boat completely closed-up in the lifeboat and when an emergency demands the service of the RNLI lifeboat that is quickly released and the boat slides down the slipway and straight into the water.

The new Tenby lifeboat station with the lifeboat in the foreground

The new Tenby lifeboat station

When the mission is finished it then returnes and is pulled back in reverse into the boathouse as seen in the gallery and in the photos above.

Google Maps has recently updated the satellite photos covering Wales, Pembrokeshire in particular. I am not sure how other areas were covered before but there is a definite resolution increase in the photos in south west Wales. The enhanced photos were first available on Google Earth and soon after that on the web edition – Google Maps.

The image detail is very good and you should have no problem seeing cars and their colour as well as people. Here is a close-up of Little Haven in Pembrokeshire:

I have already tried to establish when the photos were taken but I have only been in Wales for just over a year and they were definitely taken before that. At the moment I have information that they are about 2 years old. If anyone has more precise information please contact me or drop a comment on this article.

There are some interesting mistakes that can be seen, this particular one on the second Severn bridge. The cars seem to be driving on the shade of the bridge itself. I presume an image server at Google misinterpreted the grainy image with lower resolution (seen here on the left) and then mistakenly connected wrong parts of the bridge confusing the bridge itself with its shadow.
I presume the two photos were taken at different parts of the year (the better resolution taken probably during winter, note the longer shadow.