Eurovision in Transylvania!

Sat 22nd May 2021 - Gellilydan.  DRY and sunny spells.  Hooray.

Today we walked around the Llyn Trawsfynydd.  The lake was created when a nuclear power station was built and needed the water for cooling.  The power station is being decommissioned and although it isn’t a thing of beauty I prefer to think of it as an old castle (it looks a bit like an old castle from a distance).

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That box at the far end of the lake is the power station.

I got the name of the lake mixed up with Transylvania (I don’t know why) it starts with a T and it’s a long word with a y in it!  I have no evidence that vampires roam the area but you never know?  

This was the reward for completing the circuit.  That what I call payback!

Tonight we will do the annual ritual of listening to the Eurovision Song Contest.  The format goes as follows:-  we start by being enthusiastic, listen to half the songs and realise that they are all indistinguishable but persevere to the end of the entries.  We then hear a quarter of the results and realise that no countries like the UK irrespective of whether our song is any good and then we turn off.  I still maintain that if we got more votes in the Song Contest we wouldn’t have voted for Brexit.  I actually like the UK song for this year, it’s a ‘proper’ song sung by a ‘proper’ Yorkshireman!  No it’s not called ‘Ilkley Moor ba tat’.

Sunday 23rd May 2021 - still at Gellilydan.  Another bloody rainy day.

I feel like a rant.  We listened to the Eurovision Song Contest on the radio.  We could have streamed it using mobile data but we wanted to judge the songs on the quality of the song only rather than the visual antics.  We thought that Italy would win and we thought that James Newman’s singing performance was poor but the song was decent.  We would have scored him about half way amongst the contestants.  We went to bed before the voting started.  When we woke and to find he had been given nil points we were flabbergasted.  It can’t just be voting on merit….the Brits are not popular and haven’t been for a long time.  I would like the votes to be given to the songs without the nations being revealed and then get a fair result.

I’m taking my ball home!  Literally.  We have to be home for a doctor’s appointment on Thursday and the weather forecast is poor for the next couple of days, so we are going home tomorrow.  We are keeping our options open and May get away again very soon but it may depend on the weather.

We passed the rest of our day by going for our first post-lockdown pub lunch.  There is a pub just outside the caravan site and we had booked in for a Sunday Roast.  They had lost our booking but gave us a table without a quibble.  We both had the beef roast and were impressed.  It was a good portion of beef, Yorkshire pudding, mash, roast potatoes, parsnips, carrot, peas and gravy….we were even more impressed when the cauliflower and broccoli cheese and green beans came out on a separate platter.  We had a cheesecake to follow too!  We weren’t sure what the prices were so we were further impressed when the bill arrived and we found out the main course was less than a tenner.  I’m liking Welsh prices!  We didn’t feel too strange going inside for the first time and we were well spaced.

Talking of covid rules it seems stranger to use the toilet block on a Caravan Club site.  They have only just opened up the toilet blocks for customers use but there is an elastic band system to regulate the number of people using the toilets.  I can hear your brains ticking over, thinking how do elastic bands regulate people going to the toilet and where would you fit them and how tight would you need to apply them!  Well, it’s not that kind of system.  They have a small bucket of Milton sterilising fluid outside the toilet block with two elastic bands in the fluid.  You take one out and hang it on a hook as you go in the toilet and on the way out you put the band back into the fluid.  By doing this only two people can use the toilet area at a time.  It seems a little silly to me especially when there are separate cubicles for toilets, wash basins and showers. This system is in place throughout the whole network of sites around the country.  I can just imagine the high level discussions on various options and how they came up with this method.  Don’t get me wrong, I know we have to be sensible about coronavirus but a consistent approach would be good with an emphasis on personal responsibility.  An over cautious approach can be counter-productive….I’m surprised they haven’t taken to the doors off the hinges so we don’t have to touch the doors or have some new instruction on hovering over toilet seats!

Yes, it’s definitely time for me to go home.  Bring on the sunshine….soon please coz my cycle is rusting up!

So this is the end of this blog.  Hwyl fawr…..which means goodbye.

Shortest blog ever!

Thursday 20th May 2021 - Criccieth wildcamp.   Persistent rain and gusty wind.

The weather forecast was for constant rain and wind gusts over 60mph….and on this occasion the forecast was correct.  We moved off our CL to find somewhere to wildcamp.  The day was an exercise in passing time by doing nothing….it’s an undervalued skill!

We wanted to do a supermarket shop so we drove to Caernarfon to do then drove to the car park next to the castle.  We sat there for several hours in wind and constant rain.  The wind speed made me cautious about driving but later in the afternoon we drove to wildcamp at Criccieth.  We wondered about staying on the seafront.

But decided against it as the sea was rough and high tide as due at 4am and I didn’t fancy testing the vans water ingress capability if waves started to crash over the sea wall!  We parked in a car park near the train line which was a little more sheltered.  On days like this it is good to remember times when the weather has been worse.  I recounted to Janice my first scout camp experience.  I was still a Cub Scout but was invited to scout camp to help me integrate when I moved up but the weather was horrendous and we had old six man tents with no ground sheets.  We took our own plastic sheets and laid them out but because I was youngest I was given the place nearest the muddy door and water seeped onto my plastic sheet.  I was 10 years old, with older boys who I didn’t know and I spent the whole night standing up with my sleeping bag pulled up around me, with water slowly soaking up the sleeping bag!  It wasn’t a good night but I didn’t cry.  I like to think of the experience as character building….but it was bloody awful really.

Maybe that day was the shortest blog day ever?

Friday 21st May 2021 - Coed-y-Llwyn Caravan Club site, Gellilydan, near Ffestiniog.   Same as yesterday.

Today was similar to yesterday.  We quietly passed our time to avoid the rain.  We had a brief walk in drizzle at Criccieth.

We were here last September when it was sunny.  The town feels closed today.

We arrived at our new site which is near Maentwrog and Ffestiniog around lunchtime.  We get the luxury of a toilet block for the weekend and we have booked a Sunday lunch(inside) at the pub nearby….or first pub meal this year, I booked by phone and then rang back to double check that we would definitely get an inside table ….I don’t want to be sitting out and be chilly even if their is a roof.  This is the first weekend since the last relaxation of the coronavirus rules.  It is such a pity that the weather is rather wet and cool especially for those people who booked a first weekend away for a long time and then find it is a bit glum.  I wouldn’t want to be in a tent at the moment….especially not on a scout camp!

Hopefully I will have more to tell next time.

Yr Wydffa

Tues 18th May 2021 - CL at Llanrug, near Llanberis.

We awoke to to our fabulous view and immediately got dressed, made a brew and went outside to admire the view in total peace….not something you get anywhere nowadays.  We were on the road before 9am even though we had no rush.  We tried to interpret the weather forecasts over the next few days as we had decided that we wanted to climb Mount Snowdon or Yr Wydffa as I should now call it.  I had chosen Wednesday because today was forecast for later showers and Thursday was looking like a wash out.  

I wanted to see the delights of Holyhead whilst we were up here….we may never get back and I can’t imagine using it as a ferry port (other ports will be more convenient).  We had a brief stop in the harbour area and a walk.  It was pleasant in the sunshine but the town was fairly functional really.

We then drove south and onto the mainland again.  Caernarfon was the next stop.  We have both got vivid memories of the investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1969.  I have visited the castle as a child and again as an adult and it remains impressive.  It still wasn’t open….not because of COVID but because of some renovations.

The old part of the town had character and the views of the Menai Strait were lovely but the main town centre looked a bit run down.  

After lunch we moved into Snowdonia proper, to the town of Llanberis.  This had been the home of my Mum’s cousin Robinson (his real name was John Robinson Riley).  He was Mum’s Mum’s Sister’s Son….just thought that would make the relationship clear.  I had met him at least once in my life as far as I remember but I also remember that my brother Peter and I were called upon to represent the family at his funeral in Llanberis in 1983 as my Mum and Dad were away on holiday. When we arrived at the church, just on time, we got roped into carrying the coffin….I’ve never seen anyone so pleased at the arrival of two strong young chaps.  They must have saved money on the undertakers!  Brother David checked up on his previous address in Llanberis and I fancied finding where it was.  Having since checked with Peter he is sure the funeral was in Colne, Lancashire (where he originated from)….so my memory of the location is not so good….but the other details are still correct, honest.

Peter’s account must be correct because went we arrived in Llanberis it didn’t look familiar in any way.

The lake is Llyn Padarn and one of the mountains to the left is Yr Wydffa at a height of 3560ft.  The weather looked a little cloudy but we didn’t get the showers forecast and in actual fact it brightened up again.  I’m not too sure what the relevance of the sword is…..but it’s bloody big!

We went to find our CL for the night at Llanrug about 4 miles back towards Caernarfon.  After setting up I went for a bike ride on the higher back roads to Llanberis….rather steep too but the views were superb.

I found Cousin Robinson’s old house, it was high above the town with quite a bit of land.  It wasn’t a pretty house but it had wonderful countryside.  It’s a good job I didn’t go looking for his grave in Llanberis!

We went out for an evening walk, limbering up for tomorrow.  I think the forecast is still looking good but I won’t be counting my chickens or even putting my eggs in the same basket, I will be taking waterproofs and will be expecting to get wet.

Just as an aside I took this photo of sheep in the adjacent field….

I wondered why the lambs had a target painted on their backsides, then I remembered…..we are in Wales after all!

Wed 19th May 2021 - CL at Llanrug.

We had a mid-morning walking start from Llanberis.  We had a fight with the car park machine.  Most car park machines take either cash or card and some allow payment online.  Whatever the offering it is usually designed to be as confusing as it can be and most machines have a queue of pensioners staring at the instructions in total bafflement.  We didn’t have the right coins….and let’s face it who uses coins currently.  I tried the internet method as credit cards weren’t allowed on this machine.  You have to go through the process of registering and creating a password (another password to forget) then selecting the duration and the registration and eventually using the credit card details to pay….what a carry on!  Even then you have doubts about the process because you don’t have a ticket to put in the windscreen and have to hope that any wardens can check electronically that your registration is paid for.  Hasn’t the internet made things sooo much easier?

We had chosen the ‘easy’ route up Snowdon.  It was described as a 5 mile route to the top, so 10 miles in total and estimated to take 3 hours to get to the top.  Guess what, we did it in 1 hour 45 mins.  It was a proper path all the way and had some rather steep bits.  There were lots of people doing the route….I was just glad that we hadn’t chosen a busy weekend day to do it.  Most importantly, it was dry all the way and sometimes sunny although it was always a cool breeze and the summit was covered in cloud.

Here’s a selection of photos.

We had a 15 minute queue to get our turn on the summit.  I expected to see a Welsh Government sign at the top saying a ‘maximum of 6 people or 2 households’ but not here.

Climbing the highest mountain in Wales and the second highest in Britain is a decent effort.  I still haven’t climbed Ben Nevis (although Janice has) so I will have to get that one ticked off soon.  But to put it in perspective, I can remind you of my cycling ascent of Mont Ventoux in France….and that is almost twice the height of Yr Wydffa.

We enjoyed our relax once we got back to the bottom.  The sun was glorious but we still had a chilly wind.  Many of our photos show lovely blue skies but we haven’t had any real heat yet but we won’t complain when it is sunny and dry.  We are expecting a downpour and high winds tomorrow so we will enjoy this weather whilst we can.

Choughed to bits!

Sun 16th May 2021 - Benllech, Anglesey.

Today was a quiet day, partly because we judged the weather wrong.  Whilst we have been on Anglesey the weather has changed from the forecast every day….often for the better but today should have been the driest of the weekend but when we cycled down to Benllech before lunch it started to rain the moment we got to the beach.

The beach was lovely but it was cleared by the rain in about one minute.  We vainly attempted to shelter under the overhang of an ice cream kiosk roof but gave up and cycled back to the van as quick as we could.  We had achieved the important task of buying a Sunday newspaper, so we had some reading material for the afternoon.  The weather did pick up and we did get out for a decent bike ride around the nearby countryside.

Monday 17th May 2021 - South Stack car park, near Holyhead.

Our wildcamp destination today is as far north and west as you can get on Holy Island.  It is a haven for ‘birders’ or should I call them ‘twitchers’?  Certainly not ‘doggers’ anyway!  The cliffs are home to gulls, guillemots, razorbills and puffins!  I had also been told that the elusive Chough could be found here too.  I have sought out Choughs in Cornwall and in Pembrokeshire but to no avail.

We couldn’t see any puffins until….

I called it the ‘only puffin on the island’!  It made Janice happy.

We went for an afternoon walk up the highest point which is Holyhead Mountain which had great views on such a lovely day.

Back down at South Stack we walked away from the main bird cliffs and spotted a black bird.  I watched a little closer to see it had the red beak and red legs and feet.  The wings had a quite distinctive fingered look.  It was joined by black bird number two and I deduced that they were a pair of choughs!  In my tradition of taking pictures of birds so far away that you can’t tell what they are I took this snap….

Around five o’clock, once most of the cars had disappeared we adjusted the vans position to get a better view…..here it is.

The mountains in the distance are Snowdonia and the Lleyn Peninsula stretching to the right.  We haven’t had a comparable overnight view since we stayed at Duncansby Head at the very top of Scotland looking over to Orkney.  Unfortunately we have no whisky on this occasion to sip as the sun goes down.

Fauna and Flora.

Friday 14th May 2021 - Benllech, Anglesey.   Showers and later sunny spells.

Today’s theme was nature.  Yesterday evening we saw the wild goats of the Great Orme’s Head as they roamed the hillside.  They made national news during lockdown by encroaching into Llandudno town whilst people stayed in their homes and cars were left unused.

We had a good night in the van and set off towards Anglesey.  We had pre-booked a National Trust property called Plas Newydd, a house and gardens on the shores of the Menai Straights.  However, we had time to spare, so our coffee stop was at Llanfairfechan, just off the A55.  We had great views across to Anglesey and to Puffin Island, which is a small bird reserve off the east coast of Anglesey.  We researched and booked a boat trip on Saturday to the island taking the risk that the weather might not be kind!  We are getting very animal and bird friendly….I think it’s part of getting older.  Whilst walking in the village we saw this heron in the stream, probably the closest we have ever been to a heron.

We travelled onto Plas Newydd.  The house wasn’t open due to coronavirus but the weather brightened up.  Just as well because their is a link to ‘slavery’ and I wouldn’t want to endorse that period of British history for fear of being cancelled!  Anglesey is a red squirrel island and we hoped that we might glance one in the woodland as the squirrels didn’t have any knowledge of the slavery connection and can’t be blamed for any of it!  We maximised our time at the gardens by walking the full extent of all the paths.  The views of the Menai Straits and Snowdonia were magnificent.  At one end of the woodland was a fantastic colourful rhododendron area almost as good as Bodnant Gardens and at the other end the Arboretum of rare and unusual trees was interesting too.  We also managed to see two red squirrels from about 10 yards.  They were ahead of us on the path and quickly ran up one tree, crossed the canopies of two more trees and came down again.  Sorry there are no photos but we were ‘made up’ by seeing them.  

These were Monterey Cypress trees….they took some propping up!

We moved onto the proper Caravan Club site near Benllech that we are booked into.  When we stay on Caravan Club sites we always have flash backs to our time working as Assistant Wardens at Ferry Meadows and the Warden, Alan!  Having read the current Caravan Club magazine we noted that Alan and wife, Dee, had moved from Ferry Meadows to a site called Bearsted in Kent.  Knowing where Alan is is a great relief because we know which site we need to avoid and it means we can feel free to revisit Ferry Meadows!

Sat 15th May 2021 - Benllech, Anglesey.  Showery.

We were driving off the site this morning to get to Beaumaris where we will later catch a boat trip.  We hoped the weather would be kind.  Our immediate concern was to perform our annual (it seems that regular) hunt for a new Calor Gas bottle.  Each time we need to renew our gas supply we are told that there is a shortage of the size of bottle we want.  It took a visit to three dealers before we were lucky.  We have heard of people buying new caravans and motorhomes and not being able to get any gas!  They won’t let you buy any gas bottles unless you have an empty one identical in size!

Onward to park up at Beaumaris.  The small town has a pretty castle and a great outlook over to mainland Wales.  We were in plenty of time for our afternoon  sailing.

I am also on the look out for the most ridiculous coronavirus restriction/behaviour of the trip.  A bit like the one way system on the bridge at Conwy.  We repeatedly see signs in the middle of the countryside telling us to socially distance or to ‘keep Wales safe’!  Today we saw this signage on a long bench….

We will be getting instructions on a safe method of bending our knees and leaning back before we sit and then how to get up next!  

I bought a warm turkey pie for my lunch (there were only a couple of pies left) and when I ate it I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy a steak and kidney pie, which would have been my choice if I had a choice.  It must be my lucky day, so I felt safe going on a boat trip.

Our afternoon boat trip involved two hours in the luxury ocean going cruise liner as seen below….

We were allocated our sitting positions by our skipper Haydn so that we were spaced for COVID reasons and set off for Puffin Island.  The weather was pleasant and the skies were blue but we had put on plenty of layers of clothing  and had our best raincoats just in case.  The island was a major breeding area for cormorants and shags but had eider ducks, kittiwake, guillemot, razorbills and around 200 puffins.  We saw lots of all the others and a total of three puffins but we were happy with that.

Spot the puffin.  I could offer a prize for the person who places an X on the puffins beak!

We doubled back and headed down the Menai Strait and were told about where Roger Moore once had a penthouse and where the owners of ‘Tarmac’ and ‘Iceland’ stores have houses on the shoreline, then went under both the Thomas Telford and the Britannia bridges and the heavens opened.  We were drenched and despite the earlier instructions to socially distance whilst on the boat the skipper told us that he didn’t care and we could all squash into his small cabin!  You will be pleased to know that Janice and I stood outside the whole time….she laughed at me because I looked like someone had been throwing buckets of water on me from the side!  I couldn’t get much wetter anyway although my waterproof coat did it’s job my legs were drenched.  We didn’t mind getting wet as we were quickly dry again with fresh clothes when we got back to the van….it was better than having to drive back in a car in wet clothing.  Janice had particularly wanted to see some puffins and although she only saw three she was still happy with the experience.  The razorbills and the guillemots were great too and oops I forgot to mention that we saw several seals too.  I am thankful that I lined my stomach with a ‘lucky’ steak and kidney pie before the voyage to prevent sea sickness and to ensure we came back safely (but drenched).

The last couple of days have very much involved the fauna and flora of the area and I must admit that I really appreciate our natural world more as I creep towards my next big birthday!  You wouldn’t think I was that age would you?….the answer, in case you didn’t know the correct response, is no!

Blooming Marvellous!

Wed 12th May 2021 - CL at Tan-y-Groes, Conwy.

Yes, we are back in Wales…the Land of my Grandfather, based on him being born 100yards over the border in Knighton.  Whilst I may have a small amount of Welsh ancestry I haven’t inherited any ability to spell the Welsh language or place names.  Looking at the name of the place we are staying tonight has already given me a problem and we haven’t been to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch yet!  Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is actually on Anglesey and there is a good chance we will be visiting.  For this trip we have booked our weekend sites ahead so we are not quite as spontaneous as we normally are on our trips.  This coming weekend we are staying on Anglesey which I have previously visited but a very long time ago and I can’t remember much of that.

This morning we travelled from the Wirral to a place that I have been before and surprisingly I can remember it….a National Trust property at Bodnant Gardens just down the Conwy estuary from Conwy.  It’s got to be one of the best gardens in Britain.  It has a famous Laburnum Arch which unfortunately wasn’t in bloom but everything else was.  I will let the photographs impress you rather than my inadequate words.

We spent plenty of time walking around the ponds, formal and woodland gardens.  Despite a showery forecast we had good sunny spells and it remained dry….but probably because I took an umbrella with me and Sod’s law is such that if I don’t take an umbrella it pours and if I do, it stays fine.  

We drove to our nearby Certified Location around mid-afternoon and wanted to go out for a bike ride.  I thought that I better start using my new Garmin cycle sat-nav and began setting up a route.  Well at risk of boring you with the technical detail it took me almost as long to programme the route into the Garmin as it did to complete the ride!  The very quick explanation is that I had to programme the route onto a ‘Strava’ app, then transfer it to the ‘Garmin Connect’ app and then download it onto the Garmin sat-nav.  I’m sure there are other ways of doing the same thing and I know I will get quicker at doing it.  When we eventually got riding a mixture of sunshine glare and my short-sightedness made me struggle to see the screen.  Oh, I forgot to mention that I initially set off in the wrong direction because I had misunderstood the direction the device expected me to cycle around the circuit I had devised!  I will get there….but not necessarily with the help of the Garmin.

A Good Castle ruined!

Thursday 13th May 2021 - Llandudno.  Bright and sunny with light showers later in afternoon.

We were wild camping again tonight and were on the look out for somewhere to stay.  Initially we drove into Conwy and found a car park that had a sign that said no overnight parking but it had marked our motorhome spaces and the ticket machine price list showed a cost of 50p to stay overnight after 6pm.  We parked up and went to browse the town.  We were impressed.  The castle was closed due to COVID restrictions but the town looked very active.  We also found out that the castle and walls were a UNESCO site….we like to bag another UNESCO site!

The castle and it’s walls were in a semi-ruined state but largely intact and the working harbour area was very pretty too.  We were taking a photo with my phone when an older man politely asked if we wanted him to take a photo of both of us.  It became apparent that he didn’t really know how to take a photo with a mobile phone.  He asked where to press and whether it would click?  I had to tell him to move his finger from the lens and eventually he asked me to check if he had taken a photo.  The photo above was the result of his kind offer….as were the 14 other identical photos he had taken at the same time!  Also, whilst in Conwy we walked across a pedestrian only path over the road bridge so that we could get a better look at the Thomas Telford Suspension Bridge which was built in the 1820’s to fit in with the battlements of the Castle.  I took a photo and we started to walk back to the town.  As we did a large lady with dreadlocks told us firmly that it was a one way pavement.  Well, we hadn’t realised but I was a little taken aback by her affrontedness.  I get the impression that some people in Wales are rather rabid about maintaining strict COVID restrictions.  The one way system was a bit ridiculous, we would have had to walk about half a mile in the wrong direction to comply with the one way routing and the pavement was very much in the open air and very quiet.  Calm down Richard, live and let live.

Overall we were very much impressed by Conwy, it was pretty, had lovely shops, a great harbour quayside and Castle and walls endorsed by the United Nations….but we moved on to Llandudno.  I remember Llandudno from a couple of previous visits but Janice didn’t have a recollection of visiting, at least as an adult.  I thought it deserved a look at.  You may know that it is on a little peninsula with a beach on both sides, although the main beach is on the eastern side.  Great Orme’s Head is a large hill that dominates the peninsula.  We parked up on the West Shore which has a wide prom and lots of free parking along the wide road….we thought this is the place for us to stay overnight, we like to stay by the seaside!

Photo of Great Janice’s Head and a nice big hill in the background.

We wanted to walk up Great Orme and then down into the main town centre and East Shore.  So we packed a sandwich and tramped up the hill.  The views were lovely and as we arrived at the top we saw the road, a railway line and a cable car….not what you expect to see at the top of a big hill.  I don’t think this one counts to our tally of conquered Wainwright’s!  We joked that we could have cycled up the Orme like we rode up the Rock of Gibraltar.  

We had our butties and walked into the town.  It is a very smart Victorian style holiday resort and it has managed to retain its grandeur.  The East Shore again has a wide Promenade (not funded by the EU as far as I know) and has palm trees and smart hotels all along its sweeping bay.

Llandudno has a connection with Lewis Carroll, whose real name is Charles Dodgson.  Dodgson’s friend was Henry Liddell (whose daughter was called Alice).  Liddell built a holiday home on the West Shore and Carroll reputedly came to stay regularly and had inspiration for the Alice in Wonderland stories whilst here.  I know it is all a bit tenuous but the holiday home was later turned into a hotel and I have previously stayed at that hotel.  This is all a long way of explaining why I am standing next to a statue of the Mad Hatter.  Whilst we took the photo we were approached by another older man….this one looked like Benny Hill in his Fred Scuttle persona (flat cap and round metal rimmed glasses and pervy expression), I humorously accused him of being the mad hatter and he must have been local because he told us about the Lewis Carroll connection which I knew anyway.  We moved away as soon as possible before we could be drawn into further conversation.

We walked back to the van and had a cup of tea and sat in the prom.  You know that things happen in threes….well, we were approached by a third older man who was walking with his younger carer.  He launched into telling us that he was the ‘Donkey Man’ and he used to do the donkey rides along this beach.  I chatted with him to Janice’s concern and he eventually gave us a little dance before moving off!  We must have a got a ‘nutter magnet’ in our pockets today!  Janice seems to think that I will become one of those older men as I get older….people will cross the road to avoid me chatting!  I don’t deny it.

We spent the rest of the day at leisure, having another ice cream and wandering around Llandudno.  I feel that we are just getting into our bimbling lifestyle.

On yer bike!

Tues 11th May 2021 - wildcamp at Hoylake, Wirral.  Sunny spells and showers.

We enjoyed a quiet night.  I had listened to radio commentary of the Fulham v Burnley game, in which Burnley secured their place in the Premiership next year with a 2-0 win….hurray! So I woke up in a happy mood on a beautiful sunny morning….I’m sure anyone who knows me that I am never grumpy anyway.

No, the motorhome doesn’t have its own street light attached to the roof.  It wouldn’t get under any bridges!  Not a bad view to have from the van.

The weather forecast is for some showers later and the same for most of the week but I think there will be plenty of sunshine too.  On a little walk last night we discovered that Parkgate was once a thriving seaside town.  It had been a port on the Dee for the city of Chester and had been a busy resort for recreation.    Donkey rides used to be available on the beach before the channel silted up and grass grew.  It seemed very similar to walking on the promenade at Grange over Sands (but obviously not so scenic).

This morning we took the bikes off the van for the first time of this trip and cycled to Burton, Puddington. and Neston.  The route was lovely with views across the estuary to Connah’s Quay.  The villages were pretty and it felt very much like countryside.  Sadly, there were no puddings available in Puddington so we had a coffee at a cafe on the way back instead.

The morning had started very sunny and started to cloud over as the day progressed but we still had sunny spells interspersed with a couple of heavy showers that we dodged.  We moved up the Wirral to park up at Hoylake on the northern edge of the peninsula.  The view over the Irish Sea and the wind turbines was superb…..this is where we will stay overnight.

We are now old enough to enjoy bird spotting and we keep an eye out for different and unusual bird species.  This poster helped….

Some of these birds are very familiar to us but others are rare or at least difficult to identify.  Godwits are similar to curlews but I don’t recall ever seeing one….on the other hand we have seen plenty of halfwits, not necessarily on the shoreline - mainly on the promenade!

During the afternoon we had a ride to West Kirby and a peek into Hoylake.  Both towns are pretty and seem fairly prosperous even in these strange half-open pandemic times.  Some of the houses in the area are fabulous, very large and posh.  Overall we are very impressed with the Wirral.

I feel that we are settling into our travelling routines….busy doing nothing and making up a plan on the hoof, we just need the British weather to play its part and get warmer.  Tomorrow we head for Welsh Wales!