I'm embracing the first full week in the United Kingdom! I started the week in Weymouth, returned to London by train for a night and took another couple of trains (and a transfer bus as I would learn) to Cardiff Airport to pick up my rental car. My first destination in Wales would be the Boulston Manor Country House Bed and Breakfast - a farm setting just outside of Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire. I would end the week traveling to Betws y Coed in North Wales to check into Oakfield House Bed and Breakfast. Snowdon Mountain, the highest peak in Wales at 1,085 m, is found in this part of the country. I chose these two different locations as the topography is significantly different as well as the local's anticipated demeanour.
Being back in this part of the world is different. While I am surrounded by more familiarity, the vibe is different. I'm still processing to identify the appropriate words to describe the change. I continue to be blessed to intersect with the most amazing people who are curious and willing to share and/or lend a helping hand. I am conscious that any difference may just be me looking for a difference. More to come over the next couple posts.
I am adjusting to the cooler weather. I think the warmest day we have had is 22C. Humidity has disappeared. Clouds and rain have appeared more frequently. I've changed the rainy season in SE Asia to inclement weather in the UK.
One last thought to leave you that you can ponder over the next week. What is the difference between the UK, Great Britain, the British Isles and England? You may also discover even more descriptors that I have missed. There is a difference in the land masses these words include. I've discovered that even the locals may have trouble with distinguishing between the terms. More next week for the curious.
This week's travel summary:
Weymouth (Part 2)
My focus on Sunday was writing this travel blog - with which I had a minor misadventure. I had organized all my photos in the draft form when I decided I needed to undo something I had inserted. The blog gremlins struck. The entire blog was wiped out in the click of an undo button. Totally unexpected as 'undo' typically removes the most recent changes (as the blog has an automatic save function to save your collective activity). Anyhow, several hours later my labour of love was completed with the benefit of more time to reflect on my experiences 😊
Monday brought the most unexpected and welcome blessing. I went golfing with my friend Donald who I had met through Barrie and Elizabeth earlier this year when I was living in Barbados. Donald went above and beyond to ensure the golf match of the century happened. His immediate challenge was finding a set of left handed golf clubs for me as Donald is right handed. Thank goodness for FaceBook. Donald posted a message looking for someone to lend their set of golf clubs. This is after Donald had canvassed his friends for the clubs. Lo and behold, a chap named Graham volunteered his clubs. What an amazing world we live in!
We had a warm and sunny afternoon for our game. As far as the quality of my golf game, let's just say that I am fortunate that I rely on my project management skills to earn my living. Unfortunately Donald was also encountering some challenges on the course. I was unable to blame the borrowed clubs as they were a reasonable set! All good fun. We even rented a buggy (aka golf cart in North America) to zip around the course. I also had a chance to thank Graham personally when we returned the clubs after the game. Gosh, that beer at Donald's beautiful home was so refreshing!
Donald, thanks for your thoughtfulness and persistence to make this game happen. Appreciate the two photos. Is a wonderful memory for this part of my journey.
London
Tuesday is travel day. Barrie and Elizabeth were so kind to break their morning routine to arise early to feed me a wonderful breakfast and deliver me to the train station for my 7:24 am train to London (a three hour journey!).
Sincere thanks to Barrie and Elizabeth for their kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness over my five night residency! I was well fed, had a comfortable and warm place to sleep and immersed in amazing vibes. Shout out to Sophia and Louis, fellow Canadians, who were in residence with Barrie and Elizabeth to attend the magnificent engagement party. Wishing them safe travels on their motorcycle as they traverse England. One last house guest, Elizabeth's niece Fiona who I suspect will soon start her international traveling in the near future.
Happy to report I continued to successfully navigate the various trains with my large suitcase. The Rathbone Hotel was just a few stops on the Northern Line from Waterloo Station. Thank goodness for elevators to get to street level. I was blessed with a couple gifts when I arrived at the hotel around 11 am.
- My room was ready
- Omish, at the front desk, offered me complimentary breakfast on Wednesday morning which I graciously accepted.
I had two objectives in my one day London visit.
- To meet as many of my London based friends, and
- Meander around my favourite London haunts.
Mission accomplished! I met my former KPMG client contact (and friend) Clive for lunch at a restaurant about 20 minutes walk from my hotel. The universe was shining on me once again. Clive usually works from home; he just happened to be working in London on Tuesday and Wednesday last week. I really appreciated seeing Clive again as it has been years since we last got together in Toronto.
I also met Emily for dinner. I mentioned Emily in an earlier post. I met her on my Sri Lankan safari back in May. Our dinner plans while in Sri Lanka had to be changed so it was great to catch up with her in London. She found Hoppers, a Sri Lankan restaurant, for us to meet at - about a 20 minute walk from my hotel. I also left Emily with a copy of the book - The Untethered Soul - which was the book I had wanted to leave her with when we were in Sri Lanka. The book memory suddenly materialized as I was passing bookstores while walking the streets of London.
Between and after my two meals I had the chance to visit various places in London that have become familiar over time when I was consulting with KPMG. My hotel location in Fitzrovia was ideal for my walk down memory lane. I LOVE London. I've captured a number of the places I visited in those few hours I had. BTW - I was blessed to have a warm sunny afternoon for my walk. I hope you enjoy London through the photos below.
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My favourite London chocolate store
Waterloo Station location |
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Lord Nelson's Column
Trafalgar Square |
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10 Downing Street - UK PM residence
I remember the days when you could walk in
front of the residence |
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London Eye
Marriott County Hall hotel is to the right |
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Big Ben - restorations now complete
UK Parliament buildings |
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Ned's Noodles - my favourite dining location
when working in London (across the street
from Marriott County Court hotel where I stayed) |
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| St. Paul's Cathedral - View from Tate Modern |
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Tate Modern Art Gallery
Explanation of photo on left |
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Tate Modern Art Gallery
Explanation for photo on left |
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Tate Modern Art Gallery
Explanation for photo on left |
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Interesting building near Tottenham Court Road
Tube station |
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| Statue near Regent Street |
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| Rathbone Hotel - Entrance |
Wales
Wednesday was travel day to Wales. The first stop was Cardiff International Airport to retrieve my rental car. The public transportation network in Wales, Scotland and Ireland leaves something to be desired for the places I want to visit and the time I've allocated for this part of my journey. The idea of driving on the opposite side of the road from what I am used to has been interesting. I did spend two weeks in Tasmania driving on the wrong side so I do have some experience. The bigger challenge has been learning the etiquette associated with roads that are one car in width that handle two way traffic!
Traveling to the airport involved two trains and a bus. First stop was Cardiff Central Train Station. I had to get help to figure out which platform I needed to be on for the airport train as the airport was missing from the announcement board. The woman I asked for help was kind enough to take me to the lift to the platform 8 as she was somewhat concerned I may be unable to find on my own. I graciously accept most help I am offered - I have learned to quickly assess the potential consequences of accepting someone's help.
I also learned the train station was far enough from the airport a bus transfer was required. The bus driver was great, and after paying the 2 GBP we were off to the airport.
I rented my car through Carjet - a car rental broker that my good friend Mike had shared with me. I believe I got a good price - less than the car company's rack rate. Europcar is the rental company providing the car. Hogan, the rental rep, was amazing. I accepted his suggestion to upgrade to a car with an automatic transmission and in car navigation system Both options have been godsends. In retrospect, the automatic transmission meant I have zero time shifting gears - which I now know the extra effort would have very frustrating. The GPS benefit became more apparent as I lost network connectivity on my phone - meaning Google Maps stopped working as well. Thank goodness the car navigation was always available.
Here's a photo of what a two way road in Wales looks like from the driver's seat. Most Canadian roads are two cars wide with some sort of shoulder on each side of the road. I'm learning about how to look for roadside areas I might be able to reverse the car into or how far I can pull off of the road to let someone drive by. Reminder, if you are driving in Wales, the Welsh measure distance in miles and speed by miles/hour. I totally forgot to consider asking this question so I had to stop at a roadside parking spot to Google to confirm this information. Another good reason for getting a SIM card with some data asap in a new country.
Pembrokeshire - Southern Wales
My southern Wales adventures were guided by my golfing buddy Donald and by Rod, my Boulston Manor Country House host. Donald identified key points of interest as did Rod who also shared a detailed Pembrokeshire map. With this plethora of wise guidance, I was off exploring the area for two complete days (Thursday/Friday) captured in the photos that follow.
I also met David and Sue while enjoying my full Welsh breakfast at the B&B. They lived about two hours north of where we were staying. David was the executor of an estate entrusted with the responsibility emptying the deceased's home; preparing the contents for an estate sale and selling the house. He was also busy on a local book tour to promote the book he had just completed about a local female artist who he had met years previously and had stayed in contact with. Sue was originally from Brisbane Australia. She is also an artist working with more textile related art like weaving. Fascinating couple with interesting personal journeys to have a chance to learn about.
Rod and Jules were my B&B hosts; albeit Rod was the person who the one with the more public interaction. Rod was the consummate host. He provided the historical information on the family house (built in 1798) and his family's invention related to churning butter. Unfortunately his grandfather failed to renew a patent and the invention carries another family's name. Rod checked in with me every morning as he served breakfast. He expressed interest in my previous day's activities and plans for the current day.
St. Govan's Head
As the photo with the signboard indicates, a church was built into the side of the cliffs in this area. Of all the places to build a church, the side of a cliff may rank lower on most people's scale. I met Brian while I was taking the signboard photo. Brian lives in the area and is able to walk to the cliffs readily. I learned he is 77, still working in the construction business doing estimates for construction companies, has two adult children from his first marriage of thirteen years who he is very proud of. He remarried in 1989 and remains happily married. He was intrigued by the path in life I have chosen to take (mission to become a global citizen with minimal personal possessions). He shared that he learned a lot in our brief conversation, was appreciative to hear about a path that was so different from his and his conclusion his roots were so deep locally that what he was doing made most sense for him.
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| Learn more about the chapel |
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| Stunning cliffs throughout south Wales |
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Cliffs everywhere
Several people were rappelling down the cliffs
while I was walking about |
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| Interesting rock outcropping in the water |
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| Looking down at the chapel |
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| Chapel roof |
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| Looking out a chapel window |
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| Cliff view from front of chapel |
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| Chapel view - looking up |
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| Chapel interior - 'altar' view |
Bosherston - Lily Ponds/Walled Garden
I sincerely thank Donald for the suggestion to visit this area. There is a beautiful walk around lily ponds leading to Broad Haven South beach. The walk also includes a path to a walled garden area. Unfortunately my timing was off and I missed getting the last piece of rhubarb crumble at the walled garden cafe! I watched the last piece being sold right in front of me. I was strong enough to walk away without purchasing any sweets. If I was unable to have what I wanted, I would leave saving my calories for another treat at a later time.
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| Walled garden |
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| Walled garden |
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| Walled garden |
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| Eight arch bridge - side view |
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| Eight arch bridge |
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| Approaching eight arch bridge |
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| David's need to photograph solitary rocks |
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| Broad Haven South beach |
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| Lily ponds |
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| Info about the walks |
Manorbier
There are 427 castles in Wales or maybe there are more than 600 - just depends on what you chose to believe. Apparently Wales has the most castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world.
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| Manorbier castle |
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| Beach |
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| Atlantic |
Poppit Sands
The furthest north I traveled from my B&B was Cardigan. Poppit Beach was just south of Cardigan. This area is known for the porpoises in the local waters.
Strumble Head
The views of the cliffs and Atlantic from this coastal location are breathtaking.
Abereiddy
This coastal area is known for the Red Bull diving competition which is hosted in the Blue Lagoon featured in the photos below. This lagoon used to be a quarry which was opened to let the ocean water flood the quarry pit. On regular days, brave souls climb up on the rocks above the water and jump feet first into the water below as I've tried to capture in the photos I'm sharing.
I was watching people jump into the water along with two couples standing next to me. I volunteered to the middle aged couples that I would be willing to take their photos if they wanted to try jumping. As it so happens, one of the two men had attempted the jump earlier in his life. He admitted that fear of jumping prevented him from making the jump. (he 'chickened out'). His son, who was ten years old at the time, stepped up and made the jump. The man also shared that on the drive home all he could hear was clucking sounds coming from his son in the car's back seat.
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If you look real close in this photo you can see
the metal platform Red Bull uses to attach the
diving board for their competition |
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| Notice the great jump form |
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| Impact |
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| Start of jump |
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| Blue Lagoon |
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| Impact after jump |
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| Approaching the Blue Lagoon |
St. David's - Wales Patron Saint
St. David was another great suggestion from Donald. I also discovered the best little local chocolate shop that made dark chocolate. In my excitement I forgot to take a photo of the shop. Shoot!
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| St. David's Cathedral |
Solva
I'm learning Wales has innumerable picturesque seaside village like the one in the photos below. Wales also has hundreds of miles of walking trails - along the coast and throughout the country. I took a brief walk on a trail on the opposite of the village to take the photos looking back at the village.
Broad Haven
My first destination upon arriving at my B&B was Broad Haven Beach where I enjoyed fishcakes and chips at Off the Hook while soaking in the seaside views.
Snowdonia/Conwy - North Wales
Saturday, August 26 was travel day. My next home for the last three nights in Wales is Oakfield House B&B in Betws y Coed; about a 3.5 hour drive from where I was staying. I thought this location would get me close to many of the places I wanted to visit. One key objective was to see the world from the top of Snowdon Mountain, the highest peak in Wales. I belatedly discovered the train you can take to the top was booked weeks in advance. My alternative was the six to seven hour return hike to the top on the easiest of the six routes to the top. The biggest challenge would be having a clear day to make the climb.
I decided to make the most of my drive north by stopping at locations I wanted to visit instead of traveling from by new B&B location. The two key destinations I stopped at were Porthmadog (where Portmerion village is) and Caernarfon (castle where Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales). I just knew my English friends who are monarchists would appreciate my effort to visit this specific castle.
Porthmadog
I reached Porthmadog at about 3 pm after driving several hours. My energy to spend time visiting specific sites was somewhat diminished! I did manage to visit this train station that had trains traveling to Portmerion which was about an hour's walk away. I learned I still had to walk about 30 minutes if I took the train. I also learned if I took the last train I would have to walk the entire distance back to Porthmadog as there was no return train ride. Easy decision. I can say I was to this town and lack a compelling reason for a return visit.
Caernarfon
What I learned in visting this specific castle is that it's recognized around the world as one of the greatest buildings of the Middle Ages. So there you have it, the universe is kind enough to guide me to yet another place of significance.
Next Week
I'll see if the weather cooperates to I can climb Mount Snowdon. Tuesday is country moving day as I travel from Wales to Scotland. I have a four drive to Cardiff Airport, an hour flight to Edinburgh and then a three hour drive to my new home in northern Scotland. I have a scotch whiskey tour I need to take!
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