Category: General

Wow, how do I begin to describe the beauty of the area they call the West Country. Some may say a piece of heaven. Others driving from one small town to the next, may consider roads hellish. However, everyone is surprised by the beauty just over the next hill. It is an area of England I had only heard but now part of our memories looking forward to next visit.

Our first day’s journey takes us from Hampshire county to the town of Exeter in Devon. The drive through the new forest, where sheep and ponies roam free, was pleasant and gave us glimpses of what was still to come. We continued on to the Juassic coast to search the beaches filled with treasured fossils. We found some at least at the local museum. Mary Anning (21 May 1799 to 9 March 1847) was an English fossil collector, dealer, and paleontologist. She became known around the world for important finds made in Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs along the English Channel. Lyme Regis in the county of Dorset in Southwest England was her home. (Wikipedia) She was a female breaking the barrier of male dominance in this science. The book made into a film called “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” was also written in Lyme Regis.
Next stop was Colyton to Seaton Tram ride along the wetlands down to the Coastline. Saw a pheasant and loads of ducks! Met with family staying at Caravan site overlooking an awesome bay. BBQ, great visit and we were off to Exeter.
The town center of Exeter and the huge cathedral is spectacular. St Caterine’s Almshouses was bombed during WWII and now serves as a reminder to the brave soldiers who fought for our freedom.

Day 2 we were off again through the moors. Sheep, beautiful landscape and narrow roads bordered by stone hedges overgrown with years of vegetation, kept us focused on the road ahead. We stopped at Widecombe in the Moor which is a village steeped in history and famous all over the world for Widecombe fair, Uncle Tom Cobley and all. There is a 14th century St Pancras Church called “The Cathedral of the Moor”. Search the net for the Dartmoor Story.

Can you imagine driving along these moores and saying, “Good place for a prison”? Dartmoor prison still operating today was built between 1906 and 1908 to house prisoners of war in lieu of prison ships or hulks. Living conditions were not much better and prison sometimes meant entering alive, but leaving in a box. The prison was designed for 1000 prisoners. It grew in excess of 1500. In 1813, it housed American prisoners, not from the war of independence, but from the forgotten war of 1812. America had to declare war again on a defiant England refusing to accept American Independence. Today the prison accommodates minimum security inmates but back then housed war prisoners and worse affendors of the Crown.

Now, if abstract art is your thing, visit Sir Francis Drake’s Buckland Abby Barn to view Andrew Logan’s Cosmic Egg. For me, more impressed with huge barn. The story of Francis Drake’s life is extraordinary from a meek farmer’s boy dreaming of being on a ship to a master commander who helped stop the Spanish invasion of England in 1588. He had previously been very successful in Spanish raids as payback for their attack on his vessel in 1567. Payback is a b… Then knighted by Elizabeth, he also becomes Mayer of Plymouth in 1581, before buying Buckland Abby. It remained in the family until recent times. Not bad for a lad with a dream! We ended up at Looe at the Shellseeker’s Guest House overlooking the Harbour. Great accommodations! Of course a stop at the Three Pilchards pub in Polperro helped put us in a great mood.

The 3rd day, we were off to Bodinnick where a short car ferry replaces no bridge. A little walk around before heading to Fowey pronounced foy to ryme with joy. The river Fowey rises high on Bodmin Moor and flows to the Atlantic. The Harbour has always been a seafarer haven and participated in the defeat of the Spanish Armada with Drake. Fowley’s history goes all the way back to 200 B.C. A short drive on to the museum at Truro and tour of Cathedral before pub at Marazion to get a glimpse of St Michaels Mount. We stayed the night at Helston’s Premier Inn to recharge our batteries.

On day 4, we were at St Michaels Mount for 10 am at low tide. Best to plan your trip according to tide schedule so you can walk across on the ancient cobble stone road. Boats at high tide are slow and cost extra. History of the Mount is so great but the actual walk up the old castle, is spectacular. Look for the giant’s heart on your way up. By the way, the Chevy Chase room is not named after the  actor. The real meaning relates to the fox hunt or chase. When you get to the top, you view a wonderful surrounding of gardens and sea. Words cannot describe the serenity. We left before the crowds and the rain started.

Next on our journey through Cornwall was the Cable and Wireless point of convergence that kept the Allied world in communication during WWII. It is now fiber optics network to the whole world. Here, in the small town of Porthcurno, the world received vital communications even through constant bombing cut off London, this site continued the relay of messages.

Land’s End which is farthest anyone can travel without a ship is only 3,147 miles to New York from this spot. I think I will take an airplane. There have been at least 37 ships sunk off these shores so yep, airplane for me thanks.

We next headed along the narrow roads where lots of tin mining ruled the economy of the day. Then we stopped at St Ives for walk around this beach and harbour town. It was full of people enjoying the great sunny day. Enjoying the sunset at a pub was a great ending to the day.

Day 5 begins back at Helston as our base but now off to Port Isaac, Tintagnel and Boscastle. The later being our first stop. If you live on this planet and it is fair to assume, we all do, we are not immune to disasters. Boscastle was the location of tremendous floods on 16 August 2004. Helicopters were air lifting survivors from house tops. The slow flow of water from the hills down to the harbour became a raging torrent in hours of rain. Streams blocked by trees and debris served as dams that broke. This town now seems so quaint again though I am sure for those caught in the moment, shall never forget.

There have been many kings layed claim to Dumnonia but the magical world of Merlin and King Arthur in Tintagnel lasts in our memories. This mythical king was conceived here. Perhaps it was a little magic potion given to the King of Britian, Uther Pendragen, to look like Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall. Perhaps it was just passion of one desiring another’s wife. Regardless, Gorlois’ wife Igraine becomes pregnant with the future king, Arthur. Legend or lies? You be the judge. The potion maker Merlin lived in the caves below this grand castle on a huge hill where wind howls and the sea surrounds most of the rocky land. Centuries of ruins reveals the magisty of a time of old. The original great hall dates back to 1230 but was mostly left for erosion after death of Earl Richard in 1272. Upkeep continued and a prison remained for another hundred years before abandoning. A sculpture of King Arthur stands at the top of the land to serve as watchman over the mysteries beneath.

Next stop was Port Isaac via Pendoggett where we stayed for the night. Port Isaac is made even more famous because of  the filming of Doc Martin series. It is hard to imagine how such a small part of the port is captured on screen to film the series, but that is the modern day magic of TV. There is a small sign stating his house three doors up on left. The actual house is now for sell. Any buyers? We had a pub break just next door to the drug store used in the series before returning to our accommodations.

Day 6 after leaving Pendoggit took us to Morwellham Quay. There was a lot of mining in those hills. The problem was to get the copper ore from the tunnels in the hills to the quay where ships could transport the ore up to Scotland. They had the copper ore but no coal for smelting. Both West Country and Scotland enjoyed a profitable partnership until copper prices fell as mined elsewhere like Chilli. Morwellham survived many floods and copper downturns by mining arsenic after the copper extracted. I did not know arsenic is product of chemical reactions between copper and rock minerals. It is not poisonous in natural state. It becomes toxic after exposure to heat for a couple of iterations. I am sure discovery of process fatal during first attempts of cashing in on this product. It prolonged the economic life of this area for another twenty years.

We then headed to Dartmouth where we took a ferry across the harbour steered by a boat secured to its side. Never seen that before! We walked around Brixham for a wonderful view of harbour before meeting family for an evening meal overlooking the Harbour. We could get used to this beauty and lifestyle for sure!

After a great meal and visit, we were off to our final night at the Old Church House Inn in Torbryan. This old inn and church was on the main passage to London so had many guests of royalty including good ole Henry the VIII. He was probably in search for a new queen or going for a test drive but that is just my assumptions. No facts. Interesting to note that a tunnel runs from the church to the Inn. Again, assuming escape route for the persecuted Catholics of that time.

Our last day was spent slowly making our way back to Fareham from Torbryan through Honiton with a stop at the Sun Inn for Sunday roast dinner on a Monday. We made it back home with more memories anyone could imagine in a 7 day adventure. Thanks to the Hall’s for a great adventure. Looking forward to new adventure next year.

T

In this day of conflict, which by the way is not new just packaged in modern terms, we are faced with many different challenges. We hear threats of war and weapons of mass destruction. We see impacts of storms like “Harvey” and “Irma” with its natural destructive weapons of wind and water. What can we do? Great question. We can choose to be a spectator and watch the conflict unfold in the comfort of our own homes and perhaps even criticize why more is not done. After all, the news media feeds our desire to see more destruction as negative events are great marketing tools. We see news reporters standing in the wake of the storm and reporting every second of the event. For what reason? To report to the millions of spectators hanging on every picture in hopes of seeing some catastrophic event that we can tell one another we saw. I am convinced even sports events are all about vicariously watching someone else in action. We can watch then when the event is over, we go back to what we were doing. But what if you are the one living the nightmare? Is it over once the rain and wind stops?

In Romans 12:15, Paul encourages us to” be happy with those who are happy and cry with those who are crying”. He goes on in verse 21 to say “Don’t be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good.” That sounds more like a call to action instead of a spectator sport.  Further in chapter 13:8 he also says “don’t be in debt to anyone except for the obligation to love each other.” How do we love each other? It is easy to love your friends and family but how about your neighbor? How do you love someone you do not even know? Perhaps, a start is to serve them as if you were serving yourself. How would you feel if flooded or impacted by wind or some other weapons man made or course of nature? In verse 12, we are told to “get rid of the actions that belong to the darkness and put on the weapons of light.” In my opinion, the weapons of light is summed up in one word. Love! I spent 3 days last week and 2 more days this week with a team of volunteers removing personal items too damaged to use again so that we could do mold remediation. We did not just go into the houses with a wrecking crew instead we entered as neighbors crying, praying and offering our hands and hearts to help wherever we could. This effort is certainly not a spectator sport or not enjoyable but was it Christ like? Yes! When we spend time loving on people that are hurting, we are spending time in the presence of God. Matthew 18:20 says when two or three gather in my name, I am there with them. So as we change the channels on our TV to something more current, remember some of our neighbors have trashed their personal affects due to water or wind damage and are looking for help. Love them by helping them wherever you are able.

T

 

I promised more on the Welsh language which I think is very peculiar in a wonerful way. Their dialec when spoken in English sounds similar to the Scots but more singing in their pitch, in my opinion. However, when you hear them in their native tongue, not too recognizable. Their towns are sometimes more of a description to the area. The most longest one is translated into a location as follows. “Mary’s Church by the white hazel pool, near the fierce whirlpool, with the Church of Tysilio by the Red Cave.” (See picture for the Welsh word for the town.)

We arrived in Conwy on the 3rd Day in Wales and booked into an awesome B&B called Gwynfryn. You can find them at their website at www.bedandbreakfastconwy.co.uk. Interesting that the owner bought the place from the Methodist and converted the sanctuary into the breakfast area and the vestry into rooms for guest. We all loved the accommodation and hospitality so highly recommend. You can see loads of pictures on my Facebook site as well as their site. Conwy is a very quaint town. The food and pubs are great so the B&B is very well located just inside the castle walls a block from the high street and a few blocks down to the harbour. A great location for day trips to Snowdon and Caernarfon Castle where Prince Charles became Prince of Wales.

The next day we were off for a Day in Liverpool translated from lava pool. The ancients saw the sea weed in the Mersey and thought as lava. Liverpool has a mythical bird called a liver bird with seaweed hanging from their mouths as statues on some older buildings. Gerry and the Pacemakers made the Mersey famous with their song of crossing the Mersey. Lyrics starts with “Life goes on day after day…So ferry ‘cross the Mersey”.

We really went to Liverpool for one reason. You guest it. Beatle mania, not me, but my wife as she always wanted to tour their museum. It was awesome even for me. Lol. She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, that song will be in your head all day. Right? Oo, she loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah. She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah. We nearly over stayed our time at Liverpool as almost missed last ferry back to Gwynfryn for our home away from home. Apart from the Cavern famous for Beatles’ jam sessions and where Cilla Black worked, did you know about their original hangout at the Casbah Coffee House?

On our 5th day, we headed to Snowdon after an awesome tour of Caernarfon Castle. Charles became Prince of Wales there but that is modern history as the castle dates back to 1283 where Edward 1st shored up his kingdom from the many who claimed rightful king over Wales. I find it very interesting to see ancient power struggles. How will history write our chapter 1,000 years from? That is of course we do not blow ourselves up before then. Hmmm
After Caernarfon Castle, we were off to ride an old steam driven incline train up to the summit of Snowdon. It reminded me a lot of Pike’s peak in Colorado without the wildlife except the sheep. Wales have sheep and a lot of them. They are white dots all over the landscape. Very beautiful hills and valleys!

We headed back home to Gwynfryn after another awesome pub dinner and drinks.

Our 6th day fell on a Sunday so naturally a traditional roast dinner is in order so headed to Llandudno for a great meal. I had lamb of course but the roast pork or beef looked just as good. The promenade at Llandudno is spectacular along the semi circular beach front. Alice in wonderland author lived and wrote masterpiece there. We went on to the Great Orme on another steep path train to the summit. What an great site to see.

Day 7, we sadly said goodbye to Great hosts Monica and colin and granddaughter Libby (3 years old serving us with big smiles) at Gwynfryn in Conwy headed back to England. We shall always remember our steps into Wales and look forward to when we return. Would you like to meet us there?
T

As we leave England and enter Wales over a spectacular bridge over the river Severn, I am anxious to see more of the beautiful countryside. Before I jump into stories of castles, water falls, caves and more local pubs, I have a question. Have ever wanted to own your own castle or even build your own village? One person’s dream when becomes a reality can be a gift for generations later. Let me start with Adeline Patti. As a young girl she lived behind a stage watching her parents perform so it is little wonder she would follow. Crag-y-Nos Castle (English: Rock of the Night), is a Victorian-Gothic country house in Powys, Wales. it is not a castle but close in my eyes and those of Madam Patti. She lived at Crag Y Nos Castle at the turn of the last century. She entertained her guest with lavish parties and theatrical performances along with her gifted singing voice.
Today, Crag y nos is great for Weddings, haunted house feeling and dog lovers as hotel friendly to dogs. We enjoyed it as a stopping point to explore caves at the national showcaves of Wales and the awesome waterfalls. The hiking up and into the caves then down to the falls are not for everyone but enjoyed by many.

From our stay at crag y nos, we continued on to Conwy stopping at Barmouth for awesome beaches then to Portmeirion which brings me to the second dreamer.
Clough Williams-Ellis, built Portmeirion Village after dreaming for more than thirty years. He decided that one day he would choose a site and build a group of buildings for his own satisfaction. He became a successful Architec and achieved his dream. He purchased a private peninsula off the Snowdonia coast. You may remember the famous beach from the 1960s TV show called the “Prisoner”.

Remember the huge ball chasing number 6 along the sand flats. “I am not a number.” The residents were assigned numbers instead of names and their every movement is followed by monitoring systems and security forces. If someone tried to escape, the white balloon called Rover would capture them. Patrick McGoohan was No. 6 who battled No. 2 and an unseen leader, No. 1. Brilliant!

Finally, we ended our 3rd Day in Wales at Conwy. Stay tuned for more awesome adventures.

T

As I write this post, I am thinking how wonderful life can be. We can live in chaos or live in peace. The older I get the more at peace I feel. I am learning to take it one step at a time. This post begins a journey through Wales. It may take a few posts to describe the adventure but worth it I think. Read on but first a prelude.

We started from Fareham for our annual trip with friends to new adventures. In previous years. We have been to Ireland, Scotland, Narrow Boating through English canals near and through Birmingham. Wales was our destination this year. No preconceived notions of what we would find but was pleasantly surprised. The people were friendly and the pub food was awesome. Use your imagination on the pub beverage but lots of choices. Lol
Our first stop was Bristol to tour a very old steel constructed ship called the. SS Great Britan. SS stands for steam ship by the way. it was a marvelous specimen of engineering designed by Brunel. Who was an extraordinary engineer. His designs also included the suspension bridge over the Avon. His ship’s design included first screwropeller which became the standard for proceeding iron ships. It sailed many times to Australia and America before a damaged mast ended her career. She was relocated back to her construction dock after 127 years of service in 1970 and now on permanent display for generations to see. You can check out pictures on my Facebook page.
We went on to see the suspension bridge over the Avon from the observation point. There was even a cave to get to the lower observation point. This was an awesome adventure even before we made it to Wales.
We arrived at Crag-y-nos castle after a superb pub lunch just before the castle called the Ancient Briton. Highly recommend the pub! Day 2 started with breakfast among dog owners at the castle but that will be later to explain.
T